usual
Americanadjective
-
habitual or customary.
her usual skill.
- Synonyms:
- accustomed
-
commonly met with or observed in experience; ordinary.
the usual January weather.
- Synonyms:
- regular, familiar, prevalent, prevailing, general
-
commonplace; everyday.
He says the usual things.
- Synonyms:
- predictable
noun
idioms
adjective
noun
-
ordinary or commonplace events (esp in the phrase out of the usual )
-
informal the habitual or usual drink, meal, etc
Related Words
Usual, customary, habitual refer to a settled and constant practice. Usual indicates something that is to be expected by reason of previous experience, which shows it to occur more often than not: There were the usual crowds at the celebration. Something that is customary is in accordance with prevailing usage or individual practice: It is customary to finish up with a bonfire. That which is habitual has become settled or constant as the result of habit on the part of the individual: The merchants wore habitual smiles throughout the season.
Other Word Forms
- usually adverb
- usualness noun
Etymology
Origin of usual
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin ūsuālis, equivalent to Latin ūsu-, stem of ūsus “use” ( use (noun)) + -ālis -al 1; compare Old French usuel
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 the nearby West Bank city of Ramallah, 15 kilometres north of Jerusalem, Palestinians mostly carried on with life as usual, with markets in full swing and conversations only occasionally interrupted by overhead blasts.
From Barron's
Nevertheless, on Saturday morning just before the strikes, life in Tehran was moving at its usual pace, taxis and buses were inching through mid-morning traffic and people were running errands.
From Barron's
For years, scientists have known that many Archaea can produce pyrrolysine, giving them 21 amino acids to work with instead of the usual 20.
From Science Daily
Security analysts say the group’s horizontal, franchise-like structure allowed it to engineer a rapid response to Oseguera’s killing — and will allow it to do business as usual in the coming months.
From Los Angeles Times
Throughout the nineteenth century, periodic waves of the disease sent more mortals than usual off to the world of spirits.
From Literature
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.
