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 short answer to your question: Your brother-in-law should start collecting now, but not necessarily because he needs to be in a rush to file an application before she dies.

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But market concentration isn’t necessarily a cause for concern, Allen Bond, portfolio manager at Jensen Investment Management, told MarketWatch.

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Investors often turn to gold if they need a safer place to park their money when other assets weaken — but that hasn’t necessarily been the case this month.

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The authors state that the content is their responsibility and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Institutes of Health.

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That’s notable, but it’s not necessarily a sign of panic, some analysts said.

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Related Words

• automatically 
• naturally 
• no doubt 
• undoubtedly 
• unquestionably