alternatively
Americanadverb
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as another choice or option.
At the end of the unit, each group of students writes a book review or, alternatively, acts out a short scene from the book.
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in a nonstandard, novel, or unconventional manner or style.
We found significant differences between the traditionally and alternatively certified teachers with regard to classroom experience.
You are not automatically more creative just because you're in an alternatively decorated meeting room.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of alternatively
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He’s alternatively described the Roadster as possibly capable of “short hops,” levitation and outright flight.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
But some are alternatively assigned as social service personnel for health reasons.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Or, alternatively, importers register arriving tankers as empty or near-empty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
As the stock market alternatively displays the grace of a boxer and the oafishness of a drunkard, investors are once more confronting that which they fear most: volatility.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Thus, according to the American College Dictionary, a fact is ‘something that actually exists; reality’ and also, or alternatively, ‘a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true’.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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