Mostly vs Actually - What's the difference?
mostly | actually |
Mainly or chiefly; for the most part; usually, generally, on the whole.
*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=72-3, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (obsolete) To the greatest extent; most.
* 1817 , , Northanger Abbey , [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mDUbXHRIbRIC&dq=northanger+abbey+search+austen&pg=PP1&ots=EDH1Xu36el&sig=J7fVUwXmydAD36S8oLTWv2-ICNk&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA163,M1]:
(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)
In obsolete terms the difference between mostly and actually
is that mostly is to the greatest extent; most while actually is actively.As adverbs the difference between mostly and actually
is that mostly is mainly or chiefly; for the most part; usually, generally, on the whole while actually is in act or in fact; really; in truth; positively.mostly
English
Alternative forms
* mostlie (obsolete) * moastly (obsolete)Adverb
(-)A punch in the gut, passage=Mostly , the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.}}
- She was to be their chosen visitor, she was to be for weeks under the same roof with the person whose society she mostly prized [...]!
Synonyms
* (mainly or chiefly) by and large, in the main, more often than notactually
English
Adverb
(-)- Actually , I had nothing to do with that incident.
- Neither actually nor passively. — Fuller.
