necessarily
Americanadverb
-
by or of necessity; as a matter of compulsion or requirement.
You don't necessarily have to attend.
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as a necessary, logical, or inevitable result.
That conclusion doesn't necessarily follow.
adverb
-
as an inevitable or natural consequence
girls do not necessarily like dolls
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as a certainty
he won't necessarily come
Etymology
Origin of necessarily
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at necessary, -ly
Explanation
Use the adverb necessarily to mean inevitably. The best man won't necessarily have to speak at the wedding reception, but he should probably have a speech ready just in case. Necessarily also means as a logical result or consequence of some action. Your English composition grade is necessarily based on the work you turn in for the class. If you write fairly well, you won't necessarily get an A, but you just might. Necessarily is made up of the Latin roots ne, meaning not, and cedere, meaning yield. The adjective "necessary," from which necessarily comes, originally meant no backing away.
Vocabulary lists containing necessarily
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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SHSAT: Language of the Test
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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.
The real winner of a mega-IPO isn’t necessarily the company or public investors, though.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
Toney has scored 42 goals for his Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli this season, not necessarily the acid test of international quality, but this pick has not come from left field.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Consumers aren’t necessarily right about their job prospects.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
His gifts do not necessarily constitute an admission of illegal or unethical practice by the directors.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
“I prepared for this conversation because...well, this isn’t necessarily my area of expertise, and I wanted to be sure I was doing right by you.”
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
