not really

idiom

used to say "no" in a way that is not very forceful or definite
"Was the movie good?" "Not really."
"Do you want to go to a movie?" "No, not really."

Examples of not really in a Sentence

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The threat against which China justifies its campaign—a Taiwanese push for independence—does not really exist: the Taiwanese people support the status quo and understand that pursuing independence would alienate the island’s international partners and likely invite a Chinese attack. David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024 Is Ohio a battleground state? Ohio used to be considered a major battleground state, but that's not really that case anymore. Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2024 Those credit prices are not really a prediction by us of what the actual credit prices will be. Russ Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024 But that’s not really how a lot of comic shops actually shelved their books these days. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for not really 

Dictionary Entries Near not really

Cite this Entry

“Not really.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20really. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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