not exactly
idiom
informal
1
—used in speech as a mild way of saying "no" especially to indicate that what someone has said is not completely correct or true
"He's your boss, isn't he?" "Not exactly."
"Did everything go the way you planned it?" "Not exactly."
2
—used as a humorous or ironic way to say "not"
He's not exactly the smartest guy I've ever met.
Examples of not exactly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The team is not exactly out of it yet but cannot afford another blemish on their record for here on out.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025
As such, tariffs are not exactly a tax on consumers in the conventional sense, even though consumers may and frequently do end up paying higher prices.
—Z. John Zhang, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
Helen traveled widely, researched voraciously, and formed her own opinions—usually several of them at once—in an era when women were not exactly encouraged to do so.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
But that means, besides a once-weekly group strength class at my local gym, arm strength has not exactly been a priority of mine.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not exactly
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Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 Nov. 2025
As such, tariffs are not exactly a tax on consumers in the conventional sense, even though consumers may and frequently do end up paying higher prices.
—Z. John Zhang, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
Helen traveled widely, researched voraciously, and formed her own opinions—usually several of them at once—in an era when women were not exactly encouraged to do so.
—Photovogue, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
But that means, besides a once-weekly group strength class at my local gym, arm strength has not exactly been a priority of mine.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not exactly
Cite this Entry
“Not exactly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20exactly. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
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