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
The mainstream parties, which yesterday were very internationalist, very much tried to bet that the status quo was not really dead.
—
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
Best Actress chances, should not really be shocking.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2025
Mark has this theory that bespoke oxfords are not really worth the money, because many fine examples can be found off the rack.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
This, however, is not really a concern of the movie.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for not really
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Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025
Best Actress chances, should not really be shocking.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2025
Mark has this theory that bespoke oxfords are not really worth the money, because many fine examples can be found off the rack.
—Gary Shteyngart, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
This, however, is not really a concern of the movie.
—Esther Zuckerman, IndieWire, 27 Jan. 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 4 Mar. 2025.
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