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
And many of her makeup looks are not really designed to be worn out to a party, as the prosthetics can get pretty hot and sometimes even impair her visibility.
—
Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s not really the case with Clint and Greg.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
There’s not really always a tie-in or a connection.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
That came out of being obsessed with making songs and not really thinking about an audience.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not really
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Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s not really the case with Clint and Greg.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 30 Oct. 2025
There’s not really always a tie-in or a connection.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
That came out of being obsessed with making songs and not really thinking about an audience.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 29 Oct. 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 3 Nov. 2025.
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