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.
In Gujarat's Little Rann of Kutch summer temperatures routinely cross 45C, and can climb to 47–48C.
From Barron's • May 10, 2026
While that authority requires months of investigations and comment periods before tariffs can be enacted, it is more routinely used and seen as legally durable.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
She appears warm to jurors, routinely thanking them for their public service and for paying such close attention during the proceedings.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
This playfully theatrical work routinely breaks the fourth wall to raise questions about the ethics of the dramatic project underway.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
His quarterly letters to his investors, which Burry considered private, were now routinely leaked to the press.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
