different between actually vs already

English

Etymology

From Middle English actualy, actuelly, equivalent to actual +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?ak.(t)??.?.li/, /?ak.(t)??li/, /?ak.(t)??.li/, /?ak.(t)?li/
  • (Conservative RP) IPA^(key): /?ak.(t)??.?.l?/, /?ak.tj?.?.l?/
  • (UK, nonstandard) IPA^(key): /?at?.u.li/, /?at?.?.li/, /?at?.li/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?æk.(t)?u.(?.)li/, /?æk.(t)?u.li/, /?æk.(t)??.li/, /?æk.(t)?li/

Adverb

actually (not comparable)

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

2. (obsolete) Actively.

   • Neither actually […] nor passively.

Usage notes

• In other European languages, cognates of actually mean "now" or "currently"; (e.g., Portuguese "atualmente", Spanish "actualmente", French "actuellement", German "aktuell", Italian "attualmente", Czech "aktuáln?"), making it a false friend. 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; and,
  2. noted that in many cases, actually functions as little more than a vacuous emphatic utterance.
• 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)

Alternative forms

• actially (nonstandard)
• ackshually, ackshully, akshully, ackshly, akshly (eye dialect)

Synonyms

• (in act or in fact): as a matter of fact, in reality, literally, really, truthfully; see also Thesaurus:actually

Translations

References

Middle English

Adverb

actually

1. Alternative form of actualy

Scots

Adverb

actually

1. actually

References

• Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??l???di/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?l???di/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /?l???di/
• Hyphenation: al?read?y

Etymology 1

From Middle English alredy, alredi, equivalent to al- +? ready. Compare Dutch alreeds (“already”), Afrikaans alreeds (“already”), Middle Low German alreide, alreids (“already”), Danish allerede (“already”), Swedish allaredan (“already”), Norwegian Nynorsk allereie (“already”). More at all, ready.

Adverb

already (not comparable)

1. Prior to some specified time, either past, present, or future; by this time; previously.

   I was surprised that she hadn’t already told me the news.

   Much of what he said I knew already.

   • It was already dusk, and the lamps were just being lighted as we paced up and down in front of Briony Lodge, waiting for the coming of its occupant.
2. So soon.

Usage notes

Already may be used with the present perfect (I have already done that), the past perfect (I had already done it by then), the future perfect (When you arrive, the business will already have been completed) or the simple future (When you arrive, the business will already be complete)."Already" and "all ready" do not mean the same thing. The two-word term can be used to mean "fully prepared".

Translations

Descendants

• ? Gulf Arabic: ?????? (orr?di)

See also

• yet

Etymology 2

Semantic loan from Yiddish ????? (shoyn).

Adverb

already (not comparable)

1. (US) An intensifier used to emphasize impatience or express exasperation.

Anagrams

• adlayer