not really

phrase

—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

And also, rehearsal is not really where Lance’s interest lies. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

We’re told there’s some troubling family history in their background that might have led to their estrangement, though it’s not really shown. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

Why This Is Bigger Than Video Editing This is not really a story about video editing. — Muhammad Usman Qamar, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The truth is that deer are not really all that difficult to kill cleanly. — John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for not really

• ideally
• lapilli
• swahili
• freely
• keeley
• mealy
• seely
• steely
• vilely
• intraperitoneally
• kiswahili
• microvilli