adverb
- In actual fact.
- usage: "to be nominally but not actually independent"; "no one actually saw the shark"; "large meteorites actually come from the asteroid belt"
- synonyms: really
- Used to imply that one would expect the fact to be the opposite of that stated; surprisingly.
- usage: "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"
- synonyms: in reality
- At the present moment.
- usage: "the transmission screen shows the picture that is actually on the air"
- As a sentence modifier to add slight emphasis.
- usage: "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"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). actually. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/actually/definitions/1250505 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "actually" http://smartdefine.org/actually/definitions/1250505 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, actually, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/actually/definitions/1250505>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "actually" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/actually/definitions/1250505> |