not necessarily

idiom

: possibly but not certainly
used to say that something is not definitely true
Seats in the front row are not necessarily the best.
"We're going to lose this game." "Not necessarily."

Examples of not necessarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American. Mark Boslough, Scientific American, 25 June 2025 As invested in the process as its participants claim to be, the priority here is content, not necessarily giving people tools to work out their differences or think alternatively about their relationships. Rich Juzwiak, Time, 25 June 2025 San Diego’s household sizes are increasingly smaller with fewer children being born and not necessarily requiring as much livable space. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025 But there is not necessarily any need to invalidate any of these elections in these jurisdictions. Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for not necessarily

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Not necessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20necessarily. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!