ordinarily

adverb

: in an ordinary manner or to an ordinary extent: such as
a
: in the ordinary course of events : usually
She was ordinarily very busy in the morning.
the jobs ordinarily handled by junior staff members
… cortisol, a hormone which ordinarily comes into play in situations of bodily stress … Maggie Scarf
Ordinarily, the immune system of any mammal will work to fight off a fungal parasite. David Quammen
b
: to the usual extent : moderately
It must suffice for him to be ordinarily honest according to the ordinary honesty of the world's ways … Anthony Trollope
c
: in a commonplace or inferior way : without distinction
A friend of mine … has two apartments on the 3rd floor, very ordinarily furnished … Walt Whitman

Examples of ordinarily in a Sentence

ordinarily, I get off work at five, but this week I'm working late to meet a project deadline
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Governors wouldn’t ordinarily file a court case contesting a president’s foreign policy. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025 His hands, ordinarily trapped in the pockets of his tracksuit when not frantically presenting tactical instructions or wagging a finger at opposition benches, escaped midway through the second half of his side’s 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion to savour the moment with the Palace supporters. Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 The owners, have decided that the Arena will sap most of the big shows that ordinarily would go to the Sportatorium. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025 So my most fundamental goal was to use baseball to bring attention to this history on a wider scale from people who ordinarily would not be interested and to see, of course, how this history resonates with what’s happening today in this country. Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ordinarily

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ordinarily was in 1555

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Cite this Entry

“Ordinarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordinarily. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

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