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
My whole family's not really a dog family.
—
Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
There's not really a difference in difficulty.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 26 Dec. 2025
The question facing our country is not really about documents or borders.
—David Alvarado, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
A lot of these stars would be in those kinds of movies, and now they’re not really given the theatrical treatment in the same way.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not really
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Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
There's not really a difference in difficulty.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 26 Dec. 2025
The question facing our country is not really about documents or borders.
—David Alvarado, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
A lot of these stars would be in those kinds of movies, and now they’re not really given the theatrical treatment in the same way.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 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 30 Dec. 2025.
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