ordinarily

American  

[awr-dn-air-uh-lee, awr-dn-er-uh-lee] / ˌɔr dnˈɛər ə li, ˈɔr dnˌɛr ə li /

adverb

1. most of the time; generally; usually.

   Ordinarily he wakes at seven.

2. in an unexceptional manner or fashion; modestly.

   a wealthy child who was dressed ordinarily.

3. to the usual extent; reasonably.

   to expect someone to be ordinarily honest.

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ordinarily British  

/ ˈɔːdəˌnɛrɪlɪ, ˈɔːdənrɪlɪ /

adverb

1. in ordinary, normal, or usual practice; usually; normally

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Etymology

Origin of ordinarily

First recorded in 1525–35; ordinary + -ly

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ordinarily

Because the black hole was not actively consuming matter, it would ordinarily have remained invisible.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

Although the agency possesses broad authority to issue market-monitoring requests, these lenders generally fall below its $10 billion supervisory threshold and therefore are not ordinarily subject to this level of scrutiny.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

Step into your local supermarket, and you may find that those ordinarily humble broccoli bunches or cauliflower heads now carry higher price tags.

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

During the period when RTÉ would ordinarily be showing the Eurovision grand final, it will instead air Father Ted's Eurovision-themed episode A Song for Europe.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

Still, the incident had lamentably put off his retiring time, which was ordinarily eleven o’clock.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

• commonly
• customarily
• generally
• normally
• regularly