alternatively

American  

[awl-tur-nuh-tiv-lee, al-] / ɔlˈtɜr nə tɪv li, æl- /

adverb

1. 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.

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-alternatively
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of alternatively

alternative + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alternatively

That night, a million hushed “sorry!’s” could be heard throughout the auditorium as hordes of alternatively inclined women — because there were mostly women — flattened themselves to move through their row.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

“The settlor can alternatively amend the trust via any method that shows his or her intent to do so by clear and convincing evidence,” McLane Middleton says.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 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

The law lets defendants pay a penalty and then contest the FCC’s findings in federal appellate court or, alternatively, wait for the Justice Department to enforce the penalty and challenge it in federal court.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Baba reminds me of the way I felt when drivers in Pakistan got so close to bicyclists and other cars that I would alternatively gasp and hold my breath.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Related Words

• sooner
• willingly