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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

really.

In a way or manner that is real, not unreal.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adv/ˈɹɪə.li/Received-Pronunciation[ˈɹʷɪə̯lɪ]Received-Pronunciation[-li]Received-Pronunciation[ˈɹʷɪː-]Received-Pronunciation

  1. In a way or manner that is real, not unreal.

  2. Actually; in fact; in reality.

    modal
    "He really is a true friend." / "Really? What makes you so sure?"

  3. Very (modifying an adjective); very much (modifying a verb).

    informal
    But ma, I really, really want to go to the show!
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís Proto-Italic *reis Classical Latin rēs Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Late Latin reālisder. Old French reelbor. Middle English real Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly Middle English really English really From Middle English really, realy, rialliche, equivalent to real + -ly.

intj/ˈɹɪə.li/Received-Pronunciation[ˈɹʷɪə̯lɪ]Received-Pronunciation[-li]Received-Pronunciation[ˈɹʷɪː-]Received-Pronunciation

  1. Indicating surprise at, or requesting confirmation of, some new information; to express skepticism.

    informal

  2. Indicating surprise at, or requesting confirmation of, some new information; to express skepticism. A phatic confirmation by a listener, to signal active listening; mostly devoid of literal meaning, with the phatically contrived incredulity being merely formulaic.

    broadly · informal

  3. Indicating that what was just said was obvious and unnecessary; contrived incredulity

    informal · sarcastic

  4. Indicating affirmation, agreement.

    US · informal

  5. Indicating displeasure at another person's behaviour or statement.

    informal
    Well, really! How rude.
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís Proto-Italic *reis Classical Latin rēs Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Late Latin reālisder. Old French reelbor. Middle English real Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly Middle English really English really From Middle English really, realy, rialliche, equivalent to real + -ly.

verb

  1. Alternative form of re-ally.

    alt-of · alternative
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.