What does ACTUALLY mean?

Definitions for ACTUALLY
ˈæk tʃu ə liac·tu·al·ly

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word ACTUALLY.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. actually, reallyadverb

    in actual fact

    "to be nominally but not actually independent"; "no one actually saw the shark"; "large meteorites actually come from the asteroid belt"

  2. actually, in realityadverb

    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"

  3. actuallyadverb

    at the present moment

    "the transmission screen shows the picture that is actually on the air"

  4. actuallyadverb

    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"

Wiktionary

  1. actuallyadverb

    In act or in fact; really; in truth; positively.

    Actually, I had nothing to do with that incident.

  2. actuallyadverb

    actively

    Neither actually nor passively. uE000105683uE001 Fuller.

  3. Etymology: actual + -ly

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Actuallyadverb

    In act; in effect; really.

    Etymology: from actual.

    All mankind acknowledge themselves able and sufficient to do many things, which actually they never do. South.

    Read one of the chronicles written by an author of this frame of mind, and you will think you were reading a history of the kings of Israel or Judah, where the historians were actually inspired, and where, by a particular scheme of providence, the kings were distinguished by judgments or blessings, according as they promoted idolatry, or the worship of the true God. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 483.

    Though our temporal prospects should be full of danger, or though the days of sorrow should actually overtake us, yet still we must repose ourselves on God. John Rogers, Sermon xix.

Wikipedia

  1. Actually

    Actually (stylised as Pet Shop Boys, actually.) is the second studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 7 September 1987 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI Manhattan in North America. According to Neil Tennant and music historian Wayne Studer, Actually loosely critiques Thatcherism, the political zeitgeist of the 1980s, and was recorded in anticipation of Margaret Thatcher's re-election.

ChatGPT

  1. actually

    Actually is an adverb that is commonly used to introduce a statement that contrasts or corrects a previous statement or assumption. It is used to indicate that something is true or factual, often highlighting a discrepancy between what was expected or believed and what is reality. It is typically used to provide clarification or to emphasize the truth of a situation.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Actuallyadverb

    actively

  2. Actuallyadverb

    in act or in fact; really; in truth; positively

Wikidata

  1. Actually

    Actually is the second album by English synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys, released through Parlophone and EMI Manhattan Records in 1987. This album is also the group's third best selling album with over 4 million copies sold.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'ACTUALLY' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #695

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'ACTUALLY' in Written Corpus Frequency: #124

  3. Adverbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'ACTUALLY' in Adverbs Frequency: #51

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce ACTUALLY?

How to say ACTUALLY in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of ACTUALLY in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of ACTUALLY in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of ACTUALLY in a Sentence

  1. Donald Trump:

    Director Comey was very unpopular with most people, when I made that decision, I actually thought that it would be a bipartisan decision. Because you look at all of the people on the Democratic side, not only the Republican side, that were saying such terrible things about Director Comey.

  2. Recruit Hardy:

    I think that it is not as easy for our family members or our friends to actually accept the profession that we are going into just because of the perception African-Americans have towards law enforcement.

  3. Vice President Mike Pence:

    It represents a misunderstanding on your part, and frankly, a lot of people in the public's part about the difference between having a test versus the ability to actually process the test, as The President has said many times, what The President understood early on was, the old system would never be able to process the tests at the massive volume that we would need in the midst of an epidemic.

  4. Ben Brunnen:

    This tax classification change actually puts Canadian LNG facilities on a more level playing field with our international competitors, and that's going to improve our competitiveness for those scarce dollars.

  5. Karmon Waite:

    I thought, This is the craziest idea ever. I honestly had no idea that I actually would get selected.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

ACTUALLY#1#1156#10000

Translations for ACTUALLY

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"ACTUALLY." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 21 Mar. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/ACTUALLY>.

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