routinely
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of routinely
Explanation
When you do something routinely, you do it often and regularly. Many people routinely brush their teeth before they go to bed and again when they wake up in the morning. Something that's become a habit or an often repeated series of actions is done routinely. Your actual daily routine is one example of this — you might routinely eat cereal for breakfast, or routinely feed your cat at 5:00, for example. You can also say that a movie critic who always seems to find some fault with a film routinely trashes all your favorite movies. The French root is routine, "usual course of action," from route, "way or path."
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.
Misoprostol was initially approved by the FDA for stomach ulcers and is routinely prescribed off-label to induce labor, treat postpartum hemorrhage, and prepare the cervix for IUD insertion.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
Other ways facility managers can reduce the risk of Legionella include disinfecting cooling towers and water systems, establishing a water management program and routinely performing water system maintenance.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
The sector’s shares routinely post some of the biggest moves in the market, up and down, as investors place their bets on the future of computing.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
In locations where E15 is available, drivers routinely save 10 to 30 cents a gallon.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
For example, an area larger than all of New England — some 50 million acres — is under management by utility corporations and much of it is routinely treated for “brush control.”
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
