Meaning & Definition of Actually in English
English⟶
Actually
/ækʧuəli/
adverb
1. In actual fact
- "To be nominally but not actually independent"
- "No one actually saw the shark"
- "Large meteorites actually come from the asteroid belt"
synonym:
- actually,
- really
2. Used to imply that one would expect the fact to be the opposite of that stated
- Surprisingly
- "You may actually be doing the right thing by walking out"
- "She actually spoke latin"
- "They thought they made the rules but in reality they were only puppets"
- "People who seem stand-offish are in reality often simply nervous"
synonym:
- actually,
- in reality
3. At the present moment
- "The transmission screen shows the picture that is actually on the air"
synonym:
- actually
4. As a sentence modifier to add slight emphasis
- "Actually, we all help clear up after a meal"
- "Actually, i haven't seen the film"
- "I'm not all that surprised actually"
- "She hasn't proved to be too satisfactory, actually"
synonym:
- actually
Examples of using
I actually voted that I'm not a perfectionist, though. I have some of the signs on the list to a high degree but not entirely motivated by perfection.
In a world where political and cultural divisions still cause so much hardship, maybe it's actually time that we gave Esperanto a real shot.
Who am I actually: a monk dreaming he's a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming it's a monk?