customary

adjective

cus·​tom·​ary ˈkə-stə-ˌmer-ē 

-ˌme-rē

1

: commonly practiced, used, or observed

customary acts of courtesy

his customary enthusiasm

2

: based on or established by custom

customary laws

customariness

ˈkə-stə-ˌmer-ē-nəs 

-ˌme-rē-

noun

Synonyms

• conventional
• current
• going
• popular
• prevailing
• prevalent
• standard
• stock
• usual

Choose the Right Synonym for customary

usual, customary, habitual, wonted, accustomed mean familiar through frequent or regular repetition.

usual stresses the absence of strangeness or unexpectedness.

my usual order for lunch

customary applies to what accords with the practices, conventions, or usages of an individual or community.

the customary waiting period before the application is approved

habitual suggests a practice settled or established by much repetition.

a habitual morning routine

wonted stresses habituation but usually applies to what is favored, sought, or purposefully cultivated.

his wonted determination

accustomed is less emphatic than wonted or habitual in suggesting fixed habit or invariable custom.

accepted the compliment with her accustomed modesty

Examples of customary in a Sentence

He forgot the customary “thank you.”

It is customary to hold the door open for someone who is entering a building behind you.

She dressed in her customary fashion.

He did the work with his customary efficiency.

Recent Examples on the Web

Spiro will charge $250 per hour for work by partners and $175 for work by associates, according to city officials, significantly less than his customary $2,000 per hour rate. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2024

The merger agreement has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is subject to stockholder approval of both companies and other customary closing conditions. —Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024

Following medical advice, the couple also opted out of the customary post-service events, including a reception and a private family lunch. —Erin Hill, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

Beyond Banks’ customary outspokenness, a notable group of Beyoncé fans levied similar critiques. —Aj Willingham, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

It should be noted that SPACs in general don’t have the best reputation in the corridors of the SEC, because they could be used to execute initial public offerings without making the customary pre-IPO disclosures to investors. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024

The deal is expected to close in Scholastic’s fiscal 2025 first quarter, which begins on June 1, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024

As is customary, the festival will feature a program of fiction and documentary films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah in January, curated for London by the Sundance Film Festival programming team in collaboration with Picturehouse. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024

As was customary on the island, Cook’s body was burned. —Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see custom entry 1

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

customary

adjective

cus·​tom·​ary ˈkəs-tə-ˌmer-ē 

1

: based on or established by custom

customary rent

2

: commonly done, observed, or used

her customary kindness

customary courtesies

customarily

ˌkəs-tə-ˈmer-ə-lē 

adverb