Actually vs Definitely - What's the difference?
actually | definitely |
(modal) In act or in fact; really; in truth; positively.
(obsolete) actively
remarked upon the irony that this qualifier of veracity often introduces an utter lie;, page 3 and,
* noted that in many cases, (term) functions as little more than a vacuous emphatic utterance.ibidem , page 4
* 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)
Without question and beyond doubt.
In a definite manner; decisively.
* Nikolai Gogol, The Nose (in translation)
As adverbs the difference between actually and definitely
is that actually is in act or in fact; really; in truth; positively while definitely is without question and beyond doubt.actually
English
Adverb
(-)- Actually , I had nothing to do with that incident.
- 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 ""). This leads many non-native speakers of English to use "actually" when they mean "now" or "currently". * Some commentators have: *Synonyms
* in reality * literally * really * truthfullydefinitely
English
Adverb
(en adverb)- The mother definitely has love for her child.
- And the Nose definitely turned away.