necessarily
Americanadverb
-
by or of necessity; as a matter of compulsion or requirement.
You don't necessarily have to attend.
-
as a necessary, logical, or inevitable result.
That conclusion doesn't necessarily follow.
adverb
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as an inevitable or natural consequence
girls do not necessarily like dolls
-
as a certainty
he won't necessarily come
Etymology
Origin of necessarily
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; necessary, -ly
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.
Adding more steps does not necessarily increase performance, since most earlier steps no longer contribute in a meaningful way.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
While you and your sibling would not necessarily be personally responsible for the debt, it would depend in the end on how your mom’s accounts are titled.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
It won’t necessarily translate to a vote in November.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Together with Flea’s bass line, it creates a universally palatable sound that you don’t necessarily have to listen to closely to understand its positivity.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
He’s not necessarily my age—there could be 10 years or more between us—but it’s still a sign we’re the same generation.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
