actually
in actual fact
How often you will meet it
Rank 1,540 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 11,900 times across 155,168 chapters — 0.006% of every word in the library.
What it means
adverb
- in actual fact also: really to be nominally but not actually independentno one actually saw the shark
- used to imply that one would expect the fact to be the opposite of that stated; surprisingly also: in reality you may actually be doing the right thing by walking outshe actually spoke Latin
- at the present moment the transmission screen shows the picture that is actually on the air
- as a sentence modifier to add slight emphasis actually, we all help clear up after a mealactually, I haven't seen the film
actually in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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And Lady Maria had actually invited her to Mallowe.
Emily Fox-Seton · Frances Hodgson Burnett · Chapter 1
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Why, he must actually have been on the point of turning the corner.
Sketches by Seymour — Volume 04 · Robert Seymour · Chapter 1
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Father Adolf had actually met Satan face to face more than once, and defied him.
The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories · Mark Twain · Chapter 1
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The lines “To a Mouse” seem by report to have been composed while Burns was actually plowing.
Poems Every Child Should Know · Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth) [Editor] Burt · Chapter 1
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Why did he come home only at half-past five, when his office actually closed at three o’clock?
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1