really

re|al|ly [ `riəli ] function word ***

Really can be used in the following ways:

as an adverb (with a verb):

Do you really love her? (before an adjective or adverb):

She's a really nice person.

I played really well on Saturday.

as a sentence adverb (making a comment on the whole sentence or clause):

Really, it isn't important.

as an interjection:

I don't care what you think. Well, really!

1. ) very SPOKEN very or very much:

some really useful information

She really enjoys working with young children.

I'm really hungry.

We've all been working really hard.

2. ) for saying what is true used for talking about what is in fact true, especially when something else seems to be true:

We'll never know what really happened.

Everyone seems to have admired Diana, but what was she really like as a person?

Hamlet isn't really crazy - he's just pretending to be.

3. ) for emphasis used for emphasizing what you are saying about a situation:

We should really get started it's already 10:00.

There's really no need to worry.

I really ought to have called Annie to let her know we'd be late.

really and truly: Do you really and truly believe that he'll come back to you?

4. ) completely usually in negatives or questions completely:

Rigby had never really recovered from his knee injury.

Are you really sure that you want to marry this man?

It isn't really a dictionary it's a sort of phrase book.

5. ) for showing surprise or interest used for showing that you are surprised by or interested in what someone has just told you:

I've decided to move back to Toledo. Really? But why?

Emma will be 21 in April. Will she really? I hadn't realized.

It was the best vacation we've ever had . Oh, really?

6. ) for showing disapproval used for showing that you do not approve of what someone has done or said:

Really, Amanda! What an awful thing to say!

not really

used for saying no without being very definite:

Was he sorry for what he'd done? Not really.