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
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Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.
—
Time, 7 July 2025
Under this thinking, the U.S. has gotten used to outperforming global markets for years, so a months-long reversal is not necessarily catastrophic.
—Rafael Nam, NPR, 7 July 2025
People die from extreme heat, Horton said, not necessarily because of acute exposure in the middle of the day, but because humid heat persists through the night, limiting the body’s ability to recover, rest and recuperate.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
—Mark Boslough, Scientific American, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for not necessarily
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Time, 7 July 2025
Under this thinking, the U.S. has gotten used to outperforming global markets for years, so a months-long reversal is not necessarily catastrophic.
—Rafael Nam, NPR, 7 July 2025
People die from extreme heat, Horton said, not necessarily because of acute exposure in the middle of the day, but because humid heat persists through the night, limiting the body’s ability to recover, rest and recuperate.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
—Mark Boslough, Scientific American, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for not necessarily
Cite this Entry
“Not necessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20necessarily. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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