How to Use not necessarily in a Sentence
not necessarily
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But a match would not necessarily break the case.
—Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
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For one, the olds did not necessarily get rich at the expense of the youngs.
—Allison Schrager, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
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There’s a lot of deceit, and not necessarily in an evil way.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
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And as with users of any age, more is not necessarily better.
—Paul Spann, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
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That means the Tigers have not necessarily been blooped to death.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 31 July 2025
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The leaders who do this well are not necessarily the busiest.
—Marie Holive, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
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But that may not necessarily be a bad thing, either.
—Matt Richardson, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
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And not necessarily in a good way.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
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The people who are not necessarily in front of the camera, and that means a lot.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Dec. 2023
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But not necessarily in the pre-game show leading up to the biggest game of the year.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Jan. 2026
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Others note the decline in birth rates may not necessarily be a bad thing.
—TIME, 1 Mar. 2024
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Thomas had to be aware, but not necessarily Link.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
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No, not necessarily in the short-term.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
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And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
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But that’s not necessarily to say that the way that people are saving is wrong, right?
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2024
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And you guys tell me what to do, like this (modeling) is not necessarily my space.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
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Your sweetheart might love plants but not necessarily a fan of cut flowers.
—Chris McKeown, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Feb. 2026
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The rough isn't penal, so driver is not necessarily a key this week.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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However, an egg past its use-by date is not necessarily spoiled.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 2 Sep. 2025
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Or to sign older heads with whom their next manager might not necessarily be keen to work?
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
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Over the years, the tours got bigger, but not necessarily more profitable.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2026
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But that news came with a pitch many dealers have come to expect, and not necessarily relish.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2026
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The consumer does not necessarily need to match an elite benchmark.
—Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
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However, that may not necessarily pass in time for the midterms.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
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All of which is to say that Ibis were not necessarily always doomed to suffer.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
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The goal is not necessarily to spend less, but to feel that the expense has delivered more.
—Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
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Just not necessarily the top one.
—CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
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That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 June 2026
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There is not necessarily an obvious fit to take his place on the roster.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
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Kurstin makes things smoother, shinier, and less weird than Fly Lo might — not necessarily a bad thing.
—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026
Some of 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.
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