1
as in honestly
to tell the truth
actually, I'd rather spend the evening at home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in really
in actual fact
I call her Aunt Emily, but she is actually my cousin, not my aunt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of actually
Bum-seok encounters a grizzled elder holed up under a bridge and goes on a brief monster-hunt foray with him, which ends when the pair open fire on the critter through a closed door, only to discover it was actually the local butcher making a phone call.
—
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2026
So, the real challenge for Cornyn is going to be mobilizing more moderate, traditional Republicans to actually show up on May 26 and get him over the top.
—May 17, CBS News, 17 May 2026
But contrary to popular belief, the cake was never actually served at the Watergate Hotel.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2026
Mars, planet of drive, enters Taurus—where it is actually weakened—on May 18 and remains there until June 28.
—Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for actually
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2026
So, the real challenge for Cornyn is going to be mobilizing more moderate, traditional Republicans to actually show up on May 26 and get him over the top.
—May 17, CBS News, 17 May 2026
But contrary to popular belief, the cake was never actually served at the Watergate Hotel.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 May 2026
Mars, planet of drive, enters Taurus—where it is actually weakened—on May 18 and remains there until June 28.
—Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for actually
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actually
Adverb
-
Wild-eyed in a register that ranges from dreamy to terrified to stunned into submission, her performance is the most honestly felt thing here.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Yet that cannot be wielded, either logically or honestly, as an excuse for imposing war on the noble Cuban people.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
Both Mbappe and Alcaraz went with a sultry vibe for their cover portraits, but what really got the internet aflutter was the cheeky photos of Alcaraz rolling around in the red dirt.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
The main thing to know about the draft is that no one really knows anything.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
The fact that Vodolazkin has enjoyed such success in the international market is frankly an indictment of all of us more than anything else.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Watching driver onboards is frankly terrifying, given the speed differentials.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
But Justin is very different from book to screen.—
Jennifer McClellan,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
In isolation, Liverpool’s summer 2025 business was very good, but there are so many mitigating factors to consider.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
As the two bond in short order, our previously flailing hero shapes up very quickly indeed, soon shedding his substance abuse problems and entering a healthy relationship with dreamy social worker Oscar (Diego Calva).—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
If this is indeed corrected by the league, Clark would have only the sixth 30-point, 10-assist game in WNBA history.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Adverb
-
JPMorgan’s analysis notes that while billions of barrels of inventory may sound substantial, the amount of truly usable buffer stock may only be around 800 million barrels.—
,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
Chelsea have lacked a truly elite goalkeeper since Thibaut Courtois’ departure in 2018, but encouragingly for them, Alonso succeeded without one at Leverkusen; Lukas Hradecky was widely regarded in Germany as good rather than great at the time, while being prone to the occasional error.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Actually.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actually. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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