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

Acts of Congress, however, are not Trump’s only tool, or necessarily his preferred one. — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

Deciding who belongs in a competitive category necessarily affects everyone competing for those opportunities. — Jonathan Alpert Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026

However, those who don't follow the law simply face getting in trouble if something goes wrong and there's no track record, but no one is knocking on doors or necessarily keeping tabs on the organizations. — Megan Shinn, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

As litigation drags on, the plaintiff will necessarily require a higher settlement amount to compensate for the fees incurred so far and this will make the case more difficult to settle. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 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