ordinary

[awr-dn-er-ee]

adjective

1. of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional.

   One novel is brilliant, the other is decidedly ordinary; an ordinary person.

   Antonyms: exceptional, unusual, extraordinary

2. plain or undistinguished.

   ordinary clothes.

3. somewhat inferior or below average; mediocre.

4. customary; usual; normal.

   We plan to do the ordinary things this weekend.

   Synonyms: accustomed, regular

5. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.,  common, vulgar, or disreputable.

6. (of jurisdiction) immediate, as contrasted with something that is delegated.

7. (of officials) belonging to the regular staff or the fully recognized class.

noun

plural

ordinaries 

1. the commonplace or average condition, degree, etc..

   ability far above the ordinary.

2. something regular, customary, or usual.

3. Ecclesiastical.

   1. an order or form for divine service, especially that for saying Mass.

   2. the service of the Mass exclusive of the canon.

4. History/Historical.,  a member of the clergy appointed to prepare condemned prisoners for death.

5. English Ecclesiastical Law.,  a bishop, archbishop, or other ecclesiastic or his deputy, in his capacity as an ex officio ecclesiastical authority.

6. (in some U.S. states) a judge of a court of probate.

7. British.,  (in a restaurant or inn) a complete meal in which all courses are included at one fixed price, as opposed to à la carte service.

8. a restaurant, public house, or dining room serving all guests and customers the same standard meal or fare.

9. penny-farthing.

10. Heraldry.

    1. any of the simplest and commonest charges, usually having straight or broadly curved edges.

    2. honorable ordinary.

ordinary

/ ˈɔːdənrɪ /

adjective

1. of common or established type or occurrence

2. familiar, everyday, or unexceptional

3. uninteresting or commonplace

4. having regular or ex officio jurisdiction

   an ordinary judge

5. maths (of a differential equation) containing two variables only and derivatives of one of the variables with respect to the other

noun

1. a common or average situation, amount, or degree (esp in the phrase out of the ordinary )

2. a normal or commonplace person or thing

3. civil law a judge who exercises jurisdiction in his own right

4. (usually capital) an ecclesiastic, esp a bishop, holding an office to which certain jurisdictional powers are attached

5. RC Church

   1. the parts of the Mass that do not vary from day to day Compare proper

   2. a prescribed form of divine service, esp the Mass

6. the US name for penny-farthing

7. heraldry any of several conventional figures, such as the bend, the fesse, and the cross, commonly charged upon shields

8. history a clergyman who visited condemned prisoners before their death

9. obsolete

   1. a meal provided regularly at a fixed price

   2. the inn providing such meals

10. (used esp in titles) in regular service or attendance

    physician in ordinary to the sovereign

Other Word Forms

• ordinariness noun
• quasi-ordinary adjective
• superordinary adjective
• unordinary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ordinary¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ordinarie (noun and adjective), from Latin ordinārius “regular, of the usual order,” equivalent to ordin- (stem of ordō “row, regular arrangement”) + -ārius adjective suffix; order, -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of ordinary¹

C16: (adj) and C13: (some n senses): ultimately from Latin ordinārius orderly, from ordō order

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in ordinary, in regular service.

   a physician in ordinary to the king.

2. out of the ordinary,

   1. exceptional; unusual.

      Having triplets is certainly out of the ordinary.

   2. exceptionally good; unusually good.

      The food at this restaurant is truly out of the ordinary.

see out of the ordinary.

Synonym Study

See common.

Example Sentences

"Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage," the family said in a statement sent to the BBC.

Read more on Barron's

"These were ordinary people doing ordinary jobs, but if you argue with your neighbour you could end up accused of witchcraft," says Louise.

Read more on BBC

Even as political momentum fades, many ordinary people are demanding tougher action -- and instead of waiting around, they're starting to do things themselves.

Read more on Barron's

"This is not ordinary crime, but narcoterrorism," Rio state governor Claudio Castro wrote Tuesday on X, where he shared a video from the fighting.

Read more on Barron's

In April, Bass announced the launch of Shine L.A., a beautification program that sends ordinary Angelenos out with shovels, gloves and trash bags to remove detritus from streets and sidewalks.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• common 
• conventional 
• dull 
• generic 
• humble 
• mediocre 
• normal 
• plain 
• simple 
• unremarkable 
• workaday 

When To Use

What does ordinary mean?

Ordinary means usual, normal, or of no special quality.Sometimes, the word is used in a negative way to mean somewhat inferior, below average, or just plain—in much the same way as the word mediocre.Describing something as ordinary usually means that it’s very basic or commonplace—there’s nothing special or unusual about it. An ordinary day is one in which nothing unexpected happens.You could describe a person as ordinary to mean that they’re normal, as in People treat me like a celebrity, but I’m just an ordinary guy. But using ordinary to describe a person can also be an insult, as in I don’t know what you see in him—he’s so ordinary.  Ordinary can also be used as a noun (especially in the ordinary) referring to the common or usual state or condition. This is how the word is used in the phrase out of the ordinary, which means unusual, uncommon, or exceptional.Example: He was so ordinary it was almost suspicious—no one’s that normal!