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

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Etymology

Origin of alternatively

alternative + -ly

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alternatively

That broad performance, however, masked significant turmoil beneath the surface, as investors went hot and cold on the all-important AI trade, alternatively sapping and boosting demand for stocks in other sectors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 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

But EA barristers said it had a general power to bring private prosecutions, and alternatively that allegations of conspiracy to defraud were connected to its functions.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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

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

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Related Words

• sooner
• willingly

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