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

At this point, however, this is no longer necessarily the McKenna draft. —Thomas Drance, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026

It should be noted that, within the world of the series, this necessarily mute form of communication isn’t always a source of fun and games. —Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026

Even snatching several of the top drug lords wouldn’t necessarily cripple a trade worth billions of dollars a year. —Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026

But that doesn’t sell books, necessarily. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Jan. 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