actually

adverb

ac·tu·al·ly ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē

-sh(ə-w)ə-lē;

ˈaksh-lē,

ˈaks-

Synonyms of actually next

: in act or in fact : really

trying to find out what actually happened

won't actually arrive for an hour

: in point of fact

—used to suggest something unexpected

was surprised to learn that she could actually speak German

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.

This inconsistency actually reinforces problematic behavior by creating uncertainty about limits and consequences. —

Nik Ershov, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025 But Modi’s meditation wasn’t actually solitary; he was being filmed from multiple angles. —

Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025 Regardless of whether the terrorist in this instance was a homegrown jihadist indoctrinated while living in the United States, or an operative actually taking direction from overseas jihadists, there is no doubt that the Biden-era collapse of border security has made the nation more vulnerable. —

The Editors, National Review, 2 Jan. 2025 The nature of these specific servers means that there’s actually something to lose, that time and energy put into a character could be wasted with one bad encounter or another player fumbling with their button inputs or healing potions. —

Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 2 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for actually