otherwise

[ uhth-er-wahyz ]
See synonyms for otherwise on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. under other circumstances: Otherwise they may get broken.

  2. in another manner; differently: Under the circumstances, I can't believe otherwise.

  1. in other respects: an otherwise happy life.

conjunction
  1. or else; if not: Button up your overcoat, otherwise you'll catch cold.

adjective
  1. other or different; of another nature or kind: We hoped his behavior would be otherwise.

  2. in other or different circumstances: An otherwise pleasure had become a grinding chore.

Origin of otherwise

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English (on) ōthre wīsan “(in) another manner”; equivalent to other + -wise

Words Nearby otherwise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use otherwise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for otherwise

otherwise

/ (ˈʌðəˌwaɪz) /


sentence connector
  1. or else; if not, then: go home — otherwise your mother will worry

adverb
  1. differently: I wouldn't have thought otherwise

  2. in other respects: an otherwise hopeless situation

adjective
  1. (predicative) of an unexpected nature; different: the facts are otherwise

pronoun
  1. something different in outcome: success or otherwise

Origin of otherwise

1
C14: from Old English on ōthre wīsan in other manner

usage For otherwise

The expression otherwise than means in any other way than and should not be followed by an adjective: no-one taught by this method can be other than (not otherwise than) successful; you are not allowed to use the building otherwise than as a private dwelling

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012