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Synonyms

alternately

British  
/ ɔːlˈtɜːnɪtlɪ /

adverb

  1. in an alternating sequence or position

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Flippases such as MurJ move molecules by alternately exposing them to each side of the membrane without forming a permanent opening.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

Here, rather like the Chicago stockyards, thousands of dairy cows are fed in crowded feedlots by a method called intensive and dry-lot feeding, or, alternately, kept indoors in barns.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

None of that means, mind you, that this alternately idiotic and delusional document — described in that Economist editorial, using an enjoyable Anglo-idiom, as “a dog’s breakfast” — is not dangerous.

From Salon • Dec. 7, 2025

Elizabeth is also the conscience of the piece, befriending the Creature and being alternately attracted to Victor and repulsed by what she sees as his moral degeneracy—never mind his abdication of parental responsibility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

The king and queen rode in a more stately manner behind him, alternately frowning and smiling at his antics.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein