alphabetically

American  

[al-fuh-bet-ik-lee] / ˌæl fəˈbɛt ɪk li /

adverb

1. in a way that follows the order of the letters of the alphabet.

2. in a way that uses an alphabet, rather than a syllabary or system of ideograms.

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Explanation

When you do organize something alphabetically, you arrange it in order of the letters of the alphabet. The fiction section of the library sorts books alphabetically by the author's last name. Dictionaries and encyclopedias are organized alphabetically, so that it's easy to find the word you're looking for. Some home cooks arrange their cookbook collection alphabetically by title, while others might place them on the shelf by color instead. The word alphabetically comes from alphabet, which is rooted in the first two Greek letters — arranged alphabetically, by the way — alpha and beta.

Example Sentences

Here are the S&P 500’s sectors listed alphabetically, with forward P/E along with revenue and EPS growth projections, so you can see how the numbers compare with those for the 15 stocks:

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

Top of the heap, alphabetically at least, is Australia – who are sending actual pop royalty Delta Goodrem to Vienna.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

When Hacker inspected dealers, he said, he would advise them to file records alphabetically to make it easier to notice frequent buyers.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2023

But the custom of naming vitamins alphabetically in order of discovery continued.

From National Geographic • Nov. 9, 2023

I look at the Little Free Library stocked with picture books and shelved alphabetically by the illustrators’ last names.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner