English

Adverb

actually ‎(not comparable)

1. (modal) In act or in fact; really; in truth; positively.

   Actually, I had nothing to do with that incident.

2. (obsolete) actively

   Neither actually […] nor passively. — Fuller.

Alternative forms

• actially (nonstandard)

Usage notes

• In some other languages a word of similar spelling means "now" or "currently"; (e.g., Portuguese "atualmente", Spanish "actualmente", French "actuellement", German "aktuell", Italian "attualmente", Czech "aktuálně"). This leads many non-native speakers of English to use "actually" when they mean "now" or "currently".
• Some commentators have:
  1. remarked upon the irony that this qualifier of veracity often introduces an utter lie;^[1] and,
  2. noted that in many cases, actually functions as little more than a vacuous emphatic utterance.^[2]
• In practice, actually and its synonyms are often used to insinuate that the following is either unusual or contrary to a norm or preceding assumption, or to merely preface an overconfident opinion contrasting a previous statement or norm (as per 'vacuous emphasis' note above).

This is actually a really beautiful song. (contrasting opinion)

Actually, I'm not from France - I'm from Switzerland. (contrary from assumption)

At the check-out, the cashier actually greeted me for once. (contrary from norm)

Synonyms

Translations

References

1. ↑ “She Literally Exploded : The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook”, Christopher Howse and Richard Preston (Constable‧London, 2007; ISBN 978‒1‒84529‒675‒9), page 3
2. ↑ ibidem, page 4