1
as in honestly
to tell the truth
actually, I'd rather spend the evening at home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in really
in actual fact
I call her Aunt Emily, but she is actually my cousin, not my aunt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of actually
Whether people actually will receive those benefits on their EBT cards remains unclear.
—
Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Newsom’s closure of that highway, where shrapnel actually fell on police vehicles, probably saved both lives and plenty of property damage.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
Today, Ivo is one of the most beloved male actors in Estonia, but that little vodka improvisation was actually one of his very first film roles.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
Although Fire Country is set in California, filming actually takes place primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia, which co-creator and star Max Thieriot believes isn't that different from the show's setting.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for actually
Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Newsom’s closure of that highway, where shrapnel actually fell on police vehicles, probably saved both lives and plenty of property damage.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
Today, Ivo is one of the most beloved male actors in Estonia, but that little vodka improvisation was actually one of his very first film roles.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
Although Fire Country is set in California, filming actually takes place primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia, which co-creator and star Max Thieriot believes isn't that different from the show's setting.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for actually
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actually
Adverb
-
And honestly, what could be more feeble?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Taking care of yourself from the inside out is honestly the secret.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Hoeschele recalled early debates about whether the company should really commit to such an audacious investment.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
-
But the piece of evidence that really works in Lisa’s favor is that the other women’s smoking gun doesn’t hold water.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
And respecting human dignity allows business and organizational leaders to do so in ways that, frankly, few competitors are pursuing.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Godchaux was a divisive figure among Grateful Dead devotees — many fans were frankly outright disdainful of her presence on stage.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
And then, in the very last draft, my editor asked me to clarify for her how the science worked.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Krasinski also has the least interesting yet very successful Hollywood career imaginable, but that doesn’t mean he should be exiled or worse.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The most notable failure of the Nigerian government is that successive administrations have in over a decade and a half been unable to end the scourge of Boko Haram and other Islamist or related terrorist groups that have indeed killed thousands of Christians.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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The writer son makes metaphors out of the garden—indeed, out of the very idea of the garden-as-metaphor—while the father, who told great stories but was entirely unliterary, made a garden out of the earth.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
For the first time since the liberal international order’s creation, its leaders aspired to make the system truly global.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
For a truly Brazilian dining experience, try the camarãoes na moranga, a creamy shrimp stew served inside a small ceramic pumpkin.—
Aaron Randolph,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Actually.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actually. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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