different between actually vs nowadays

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

Alternative forms

• nowaday
• nowadayes (obsolete)
• now-a-days
• now-adays (archaic)
• now a days
• nowdays (pronunciation spelling)

Etymology

From now +? adays.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /?na?.?.de?z/

Adverb

nowadays (not comparable)

1. At the present time; in the current era. [from 14th c.]
   • 1762, A. F. Busching, A New System of Geography, volume 4, translated from German, p.4:

     The appellation of Germany, is seldom used now-a-days any where but in the title of the Emperor and Elector of Mentz.

   • 2012, Dick Vinegar, The Guardian, 11 Jun 2012:

     My favourite reading nowadays is Pulse, one of the house magazines for GPs.

Synonyms

• (at the present time): currently, in this day and age, now, these days, today

Translations