REALLY | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

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Meaning of really in English reallyadverb uk /ˈrɪə.li/ us /ˈriː.ə.li/

really adverb (NOT IMAGINARY)

Add to word list Add to word list B1 in fact: He isn't really angry - he's just pretending. You don't really expect them to refuse, do you? A2 used to say that something is certain: Thank you, but I really couldn't eat another thing. He's really going to do it this time.
  • The constraints of politeness wouldn't allow her to say what she really thought about his cooking.
  • I don't really know how she got the job, but I suspect her mother's got contacts.
  • He doesn't really mean it - he's just being contrary.
  • A joke can be very revealing about what someone's really thinking.
  • She's not really angry - it's just a put-on.
True, real, false, and unreal
  • actual
  • actuality
  • actually
  • ahistoric
  • ahistorical
  • fairy tale
  • faithful
  • fake news
  • false
  • false flag
  • non-deceptive
  • non-material
  • non-realistic
  • not so much idiom
  • nothing could be further from the truth idiom
  • unproved
  • unproven
  • unreal
  • unspun
  • untrue
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Certainty

really adverb (VERY)

A1 very or very much: She's really nice. This room is really hot. That's really interesting. It's a really difficult decision. "Did you like it? Not really (= no)."
  • Security checks have become really strict at the airport.
  • I had to fill in this really complicated form.
  • We had a really rough crossing - I was sick three times.
  • Why do you have a down on him? I think he seems really nice.
  • My dad was always really good at making up stories.
Linguistics: very & extreme
  • abjectly
  • absolutely
  • absolutely fabulous
  • abundantly
  • abundantly clear
  • beyond
  • enormously
  • exceedingly
  • extraordinarily
  • imagine
  • indeed
  • particularly
  • richly
  • showstopping
  • strongly held
  • stupefyingly
  • super
  • super-duper
  • totally
  • violently
See more results »

Grammar

ReallyWe use the adverb really when we want to emphasise something: … reallyexclamation uk /ˈrɪə.li/ us /ˈriː.ə.li/ A2 used to express interest, surprise, or anger: "I'm getting married to Fred." "Really? When?" "She's promised to shave her head for charity." "Really? Do you think she'll do it?" "He hasn't brought the book back." "Oh, really! That's the second time I've asked him!"
  • "She's leaving." "Really?"
  • "I find him very attractive." "Really?"
  • "I thought it was the best film I'd ever seen." "Really?"
  • "I think they've just sold their house." "Really?"
  • "I saw him in town yesterday." "Really?"
Linguistics: interjections
  • aiyo
  • attaboy
  • attagirl
  • auf Wiedersehen
  • aw shucks
  • bless you! idiom
  • guess
  • hip
  • lord
  • lordy
  • marry
  • mazel tov
  • more
  • roll
  • yeah
  • yeah, right! idiom
  • yech
  • yeet
  • yoicks
  • yoink
See more results »

Grammar

ReallyWe use the adverb really when we want to emphasise something: … (Definition of really from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

really | American Dictionary

reallyadverb [ not gradable ] us /ˈri·ə·li, ˈri·li/

really adverb [not gradable] (SINCERELY)

Add to word list Add to word list sincerely; truly: I’m really telling the truth this time. If she really cared about me, she would have called by now.

really adverb [not gradable] (VERY GREAT)

extremely: That was a really good movie. This room is really hot.

really adverb [not gradable] (ACTUALLY)

actually: What really happened that day? I just don’t know if we would really use it that much. reallyexclamation us /ˈri·ə·li, ˈri·li/

really exclamation (EXPRESSING SURPRISE)

used to express interest, surprise, or annoyance: "Debbie and I are getting married." "Really? When?" Really, Jen, you should have let me know sooner. (Definition of really from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of really

really Moreover, the morphisms between such datatypes are really 'computed' by the elements tracking them, in the sense that each tracking element determines its function. From the Cambridge English Corpus The following chapters, though superficially presenting the appearance of disconnected essays, really possess a strong bond of continuity. From the Cambridge English Corpus Both are explicit, algorithmically defined mappings; one cannot really change them in any significant way. From the Cambridge English Corpus In particular, a really unbounded operator (that is, one whose norm is infinite) is partial, not out of a forgotten totality, but intrinsically. From the Cambridge English Corpus Before really tackling the issues of longrange planning strategies, in chapter 7, the author sets the scene in the first five chapters. From the Cambridge English Corpus Note that with no alternative use of labour, we cannot really separate return to labour from resource rent. From the Cambridge English Corpus Other forms of exchange are acknowledged, but not really discussed. From the Cambridge English Corpus At the same time, while this arrangement helps to define ideal types, it also runs the risk of obscuring what the debate is really about. From the Cambridge English Corpus A really good question speaks from common sense and, because it does, the results can be expected to produce vast social turmoil. From the Cambridge English Corpus I really cannot take all this stuff seriously. From the Cambridge English Corpus Then it sounds really nice, then you hear all the sounds, you hear the space. From the Cambridge English Corpus He asked whether an architect ought to be granted such wide latitude to 'butcher really beautiful buildings'. From the Cambridge English Corpus There are very good reasons why we need to be able to see or hear what is really out there, rather than what we anticipate. From the Cambridge English Corpus I think women who want desperately to compete ; they're going to really feel it. From the Cambridge English Corpus I need help to go to bed, get up, have my dressings done - with everything really. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of really These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of really?

Translations of really

in Chinese (Traditional) 真正地, 事實上, 實際上… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 真正地, 事实上, 实际上… See more in Spanish realmente, muy, ¿en serio?… See more in Portuguese realmente, de verdade, verdade?… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian खरेच, खरोखर, खरोखर / खूप असे दर्शवणारी संज्ञा… See more とても, 非常に, 実際に… See more gerçekten, sahiden, aslında… See more vraiment, réellement, en réalité… See more molt, realment… See more echt, erg, echt waar… See more உண்மையில், ஏதோ நிச்சயம் என்று சொல்ல பழகிவிட்டது, மிகவும் அல்லது மிகவும் அதிகமாக… See more वास्तव में, सच में, सचमुच… See more હકીકતમાં, કોઈ વસ્તુ/બાબત ચોક્કસ છે તે કહેવા ઉપયોગ થાય છે., ખરેખર… See more faktisk, virkelig, meget… See more faktiskt, verkligen, jaså [minsann]?… See more sebenarnya, sememangnya, benarkah (secara terkejut)… See more wirklich… See more virkelig, veldig, egentlig… See more حقیقتاً, سچ مچ, واقعی… See more дійсно, насправді, справді… See more నిజానికి, ఏదైనా ఖచ్చితంగా ఉందని చెప్పడానికి వాడేది, చాలా… See more সত্যিই, প্রকৃতই, আদপে… See more ve skutečnosti, opravdu… See more sebenarnya, sangat, sungguh!… See more ในความเป็นจริงแล้ว, มากมาก, สำนวนแสดงความประหลาดใจ… See more thực tế, rất, than từ… See more naprawdę, bardzo, rzeczywiście… See more 정말, 매우, 실제로… See more veramente, realmente, in realtà… See more Need a translator?

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realized realizing reallocate reallocation really really travel phrase realm Realpolitik Realtor {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of really

  • really travel phrase
  • really travel
  • be (really) something idiom
  • what someone is (really) made of idiom
See all meanings
  • really travel phrase
  • be (really) something idiom
  • what someone is (really) made of idiom
See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

two-faced

UK /ˌtuːˈfeɪst/ US /ˌtuːˈfeɪst/

Someone who is two-faced is not sincere, saying unpleasant things about you to other people while seeming to be pleasant when they are with you.

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  • English   
    • Adverb 
      • really (NOT IMAGINARY)
      • really (VERY)
    Exclamation
  • American   
    • Adverb 
      • really (SINCERELY)
      • really (VERY GREAT)
      • really (ACTUALLY)
    • Exclamation 
      • really (EXPRESSING SURPRISE)
  • Examples
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