全く～ない【まったく～ない】

全く～ない means "not at all": there is none of it. 全く (まったく) goes before a negative – a verb in the ない-form, an い-adjective in 〜くない, a noun or な-adjective with ではない or じゃない.

全く or 全然

Both mean "not at all" with a negative, and most sentences take either. ぜんぜん全然 is the everyday word in conversation. 全く sounds firmer and more formal, and it is the one you find in writing.

Usage notes

These go beyond "not at all".

Without a negative

With an affirmative, 全く means "completely", "entirely", and goes with words of sameness, difference and agreement. This is everyday Japanese, not a literary use. It does not mean "very": ×全くおいしい.

As an exclamation

On its own, まったく is a sigh of annoyance, "honestly!", "good grief". It is usually written in kana, often lengthened to まったくもう.