necessarily

[nes-uh-sair-uh-lee, -ser-]

adverb

1. by or of necessity; as a matter of compulsion or requirement.

   You don't necessarily have to attend.

2. as a necessary, logical, or inevitable result.

   That conclusion doesn't necessarily follow.

necessarily

/ ˌnɛsɪˈsɛrɪlɪ, ˈnɛsɪsərɪlɪ /

adverb

1. as an inevitable or natural consequence

   girls do not necessarily like dolls

2. as a certainty

   he won't necessarily come

Word History and Origins

Origin of necessarily¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; necessary, -ly

Example Sentences

The two camps appear to share a sense of disgust about the UK's ailing economy and the poor state of public services - although they do not necessarily agree on the causes or the solutions.

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While past reports have highlighted the dangers of deforestation, this study spotlights a more insidious threat: fire-driven degradation that erodes forest integrity without necessarily clearing it.

Read more on Science Daily

If there’s a scene that best encapsulates the tragically abbreviated career of John Candy, it’s not necessarily from his time on the sketch-comedy series “SCTV” or from movies like “Stripes” or “Uncle Buck.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Before you point to all of the bands that have performed full album shows, the fact that they happened doesn’t make them necessarily good concerts.

Read more on Salon

However, while antisocial and dangerous driving is usually against the law, casual gatherings of car fans are not necessarily illegal.

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Related Words

• automatically 
• naturally 
• no doubt 
• undoubtedly 
• unquestionably