Really Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms really American [ree-uh-lee, ree-lee] / ˈri ə li, ˈri li /

adverb

1. in reality; actually.

   to see things as they really are.

2. genuinely or truly.

   a really honest man.

3. indeed.

   Really, this is too much.

interjection

1. (used to express surprise, exasperation, etc.)

really British / ˈrɪəlɪ /

adverb

1. in reality; in actuality; assuredly

   it's really quite harmless

2. truly; genuinely

   really beautiful

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

1. an exclamation of dismay, disapproval, doubt, surprise, etc

2. an exclamation of surprise or polite doubt

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of really

First recorded in 1400–50; real 1 ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"My agent's working really hard behind scenes," she said.

From BBC

"Lincoln really was quite a small college, and maybe that's what he was looking for - something that is more homely and welcoming," Gauci suggests.

From BBC

Australian Grand Prix organisers say they are "really confident" this weekend's opening race of the Formula 1 season will not be affected.

From BBC

"It came to us via email and one of our curators thought, this is really an interesting image, we've known about the painting for over 100 years but we've never seen it."

From BBC

If they do, she said: "It will start to cascade into other prices such as food, agriculture, industrial commodities and that's just going to really bleed into inflation."

From BBC

Related Words

• absolutely
• actually
• certainly
• easily
• genuinely
• honestly
• indeed
• legitimately
• literally
• surely
• truly
• undoubtedly
• unquestionably
• well

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.