not necessarily

idiom

: possibly but not certainly
used to say that something is not definitely true
Seats in the front row are not necessarily the best.
"We're going to lose this game." "Not necessarily."

Examples of not necessarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Astronomical seasons start and end at roughly the same time every year but not necessarily on the same date from year to year. The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024 Coral bleaching does not necessarily mean corals will die, according to NOAA, which noted that corals can recuperate if the strain on their ecosystems is reduced. Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024 However, in a prime example of a final score not necessarily reflecting a game’s flow, the Legion needed to overcome a shaky start and 17-0 first-half deficit to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 at home this season. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024 While this would be the fulfillment of a dream that many civic boosters have had since the minor league River Cats franchise moved into its home in West Sacramento, both Matheson and Maxcy warned that all that glitters is not necessarily gold. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 6 Apr. 2024 Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors. TIME, 5 Apr. 2024 The whole ‘Lord of the Rings’ (reference is) not necessarily something that our beer-tenders or anyone would have to use as a selling point, but there’s a story behind it. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024 All the media industry has to do is create more of it — not necessarily the simplest of tasks. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024 But a rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'not necessarily.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near not necessarily

Cite this Entry

“Not necessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20necessarily. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

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