not necessarily
idiom
: possibly but not certainly
—used to say that something is not definitely true
Seats in the front row are not necessarily the best.
"We're going to lose this game." "Not necessarily."
Examples of not necessarily in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.
—
Duncan Money / Made By History, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
The data is slightly limited, only showing those with active detainers issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (), meaning the rates could be higher but not necessarily by much.
—Dan Gooding, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
The rough isn't penal, so driver is not necessarily a key this week.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
This led them to develop a hypothesis that its potential healing properties were not necessarily inherent to the clay but instead may have been the result of an interaction between the material and certain fungi.
—Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for not necessarily 
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.
Duncan Money / Made By History, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
The data is slightly limited, only showing those with active detainers issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (), meaning the rates could be higher but not necessarily by much.
—Dan Gooding, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
The rough isn't penal, so driver is not necessarily a key this week.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
This led them to develop a hypothesis that its potential healing properties were not necessarily inherent to the clay but instead may have been the result of an interaction between the material and certain fungi.
—Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for not necessarily
Dictionary Entries Near not necessarily
Cite this Entry
“Not necessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20necessarily. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share