alternately

adverb

al·​ter·​nate·​ly

US and Canadian

ˈȯl-tər-nət-lē 

also ˈal-;

chiefly British ȯl-ˈtər-

1

: by turns one after the other

His heart rate was 175, his blood pressure alternately spiking and falling.

—Stephen King

As the gravitational waves passed Earth, they would alternately compress and expand the space between two objects.

—Neil deGrasse Tyson et al.

The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train … or looking out the windows.

—Rick Riordan

2

: as an alternative

—used to introduce a different possibility from what has been previously suggested or described

From then on, you can take out almost $10,000 a year and annuitize $160,000 after at least ten years. Alternately, you can make no withdrawals and let your guaranteed base grow by 6 percent a year.

—Kerry Pechter

The club was originally known as Fontana Bar (or, alternately, Fontana Lounge and Fontana Room) from Bellagio's opening until it shifted to Hyde in December 2011.

—John Katsilometes

You could be in for a pretty remarkable experience—or, alternately, one of the most miserable and terrifying nights of your life.

—Drew Schwartz

Examples of alternately in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though Ridley Scott works in a drastically different tone than the one John Carpenter brought to Dark Star, the two films share screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s darkly comedic view of a future that has reduced humans to alternately bored and terrified cogs in larger machines. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026

Iowa designer Scott Johnson alternately stacked two sizes of circular pavers to create a sculptural plant stand for a cheerful yellow container. —Midwest Living, 22 Apr. 2026

Beat flour mixture into sugar mixture in 3 additions, alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026

They're dressed differently each year — alternately wearing a Christmas sweater or clutching a Georgia peach ice cream sandwich — and officials haven't confirmed or denied rumors this might be their last year on the shelves. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1