usual

[yoo-zhoo-uhl, yoozh-wuhl]

adjective

1. habitual or customary.

   her usual skill.

   Synonyms: accustomed

2. commonly met with or observed in experience; ordinary.

   the usual January weather.

   Synonyms: regular, familiar, prevalent, prevailing, general

3. commonplace; everyday.

   He says the usual things.

   Synonyms: predictable

noun

1. something that is usual.

   He could expect only the usual.

usual

/ ˈjuːʒʊəl /

adjective

1. of the most normal, frequent, or regular type; customary

   that's the usual sort of application to send

noun

1. ordinary or commonplace events (esp in the phrase out of the usual )

2. informal,  the habitual or usual drink, meal, etc

Other Word Forms

• usualness noun
• usually adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of usual¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of usual¹

C14: from Late Latin ūsuālis ordinary, from Latin ūsus _use

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. as usual, in the customary or usual manner.

   As usual, he forgot my birthday.

see as usual; business as usual.

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

That makes the Beige Book’s anecdotal evidence, gleaned from real-time conversations with business leaders about investing, hiring, and pricing, more critical than usual for policymakers.

Read more on Barron's

Indulgence came at the usual price: addiction and a bitter harvest of regrets.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The effect of your failure to follow usual practice is that Arizona is down a representative from the number to which it is constitutionally entitled,” the letter read in part.

Read more on Salon

With investor sentiment and tech-stock valuations pushed to extremes, this latest earnings season is going to affect the market’s favorite companies more than usual.

Read more on MarketWatch

Justice Department attorneys wrote that they “greatly regret any disruption caused to the Court and the other litigants,” but needed to pause the proceedings until they were “permitted to resume their usual civil litigation functions.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• constant 
• conventional 
• current 
• customary 
• everyday 
• expected www.thesaurus.com
• familiar 
• frequent 
• natural 
• normal 
• prevailing 
• regular 
• routine