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
Furthermore, prey sharing is common in orca culture, so maybe sharing their lunch with humans is not really so strange after all.
—
Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
The lead character is the prince, who doesn’t want to be on the throne and is not really that smart.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025
And some dung beetles use the Milky Way to find their way at night, but for the much simpler task of going in a straight line over a short distance, which does not really compare with the moths’ long journey to a highly specific destination.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 June 2025
Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care.
—Jennifer D. Oliva, The Conversation, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for not really
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Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
The lead character is the prince, who doesn’t want to be on the throne and is not really that smart.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 July 2025
And some dung beetles use the Milky Way to find their way at night, but for the much simpler task of going in a straight line over a short distance, which does not really compare with the moths’ long journey to a highly specific destination.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 June 2025
Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care.
—Jennifer D. Oliva, The Conversation, 20 June 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 9 Jul. 2025.
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