actually

adverb

ac·​tu·​al·​ly ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē How to pronounce actually (audio)
-sh(ə-w)ə-lē;
ˈaksh-lē, 
ˈaks-
Synonyms of actually
1
: in act or in fact : really
trying to find out what actually happened
won't actually arrive for an hour
2
: in point of fact
—used to suggest something unexpected
was surprised to learn that she could actually speak German

Synonyms of actually

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of actually in a Sentence

actually, I'd rather spend the evening at home I call her Aunt Emily, but she is actually my cousin, not my aunt.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a visual presentation at their news conference, federal authorities alleged that 21 of the 28 people charged had actually voted. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 This speed limit is universal, and nothing one does to the system can actually change it. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026 Mitchell Leff / Getty Images So while the number of seats for fans might have gone up, the actual number of seats for sale to the average fan have actually gone down — a trend that is on a roll across the country in all major sports. — Jonah Kaplan, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 Per a guide from Nectr, saliva wets the pouch and releases its ingredients, and how much is actually absorbed depends on the formulation and how the pouch is used. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for actually

Word History

Etymology

Middle English actuelly, from actuel, actual actual + -ly -ly entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of actually was in the 15th century

Rhymes for actually

See All Rhymes for actually

Browse Nearby Words

actualize
actually
actual neurotic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Actually.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actually. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

actually

adverb
ac·​tu·​al·​ly ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē How to pronounce actually (audio)
ˈak-sh(ə-w)ə-lē
: in fact or in truth : really
she actually spoke Spanish
actually, I didn't want to go
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All