necessarily

adverb

nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē 

1

: of necessity : unavoidably

The audience was necessarily small.

This endeavor necessarily involves some risk.

2

: as a logical result or consequence

… a holocaust is a disaster, but a disaster is not necessarily a holocaust.

—Harry Shaw

Synonyms of necessarily

• inevitably

Examples of necessarily in a Sentence

the argument that the existence of the universe necessarily implies the existence of an all-powerful being responsible for creating it

Recent Examples on the Web

John doesn’t even necessarily have the kind of big feeling that behooves a soap-opera character. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026

None offer the deep expertise in everything from cloth-sourcing to zip-making that is available in China, often in the necessarily small batches needed for fast-moving consumer goods. —Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026

Nowak noted that while generative AI will create new products, these early agentic travel products are developing differently than investors had necessarily expected. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

It isn’t accompanied with authorities investigating disappearances, murders, corruption or even necessarily halting the flow of drugs. —Angélica Durán-Martínez, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing necessarily

• not necessarily

Rhymes for necessarily

• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• momentarily
• ordinarily
• secondarily
• temporarily
• voluntarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily