not really
idiom
—used to say "no" in a way that is not very forceful or definite
"Was the movie good?" "Not really."
"Do you want to go to a movie?" "No, not really."
Examples of not really in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The original character was not really drawn that way.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Meta jokes aside, it also is meant to immediately tell viewers that this show is not really in the same genre (or hybrid genre) as the original show or its previous spinoffs.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
There’s also not really a Dwight analog.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Year 1, our roster was not really built to take on Power 4 football, and those were some lopsided games and those were tough.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not really
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Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Meta jokes aside, it also is meant to immediately tell viewers that this show is not really in the same genre (or hybrid genre) as the original show or its previous spinoffs.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
There’s also not really a Dwight analog.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Year 1, our roster was not really built to take on Power 4 football, and those were some lopsided games and those were tough.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not really
Cite this Entry
“Not really.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20really. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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