actually meaning and definition

ACTUALLY adverb

Definition of actually (adverb)

1. in actual fact
   • "to be nominally but not actually independent"; "no one actually saw the shark"; "large meteorites actually come from the asteroid belt"
   • synonyms: really
2. used to imply that one would expect the fact to be the opposite of that stated; surprisingly
   • "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
3. at the present moment
   • "the transmission screen shows the picture that is actually on the air"
4. as a sentence modifier to add slight emphasis
   • "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"