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

• 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

At a time of high inflation, that's not a good thing necessarily. —Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

The table below breaks down the comparisons by category, in necessarily broad strokes. —PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025

The same people who watch my interviews on 360 With Speedy, are not always necessarily the same people who will watch my interview with the sitting president at the time. —Okla Jones, Essence, 30 Sep. 2025

Underachievement on this scale necessarily raises the question of the manager’s job security, even one year removed from being the toast of the town. —Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

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