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

That doesn’t mean the House majority is necessarily safe. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025

Not that the bush honeysuckles are necessarily particularly good for birds. —Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 5 Nov. 2025

This generation isn’t intimidated by the attention of major brands, nor necessarily impressed by it. —Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 3 Nov. 2025

Still, that was enough for rice to maintain its hold as the county’s most valuable crop, if not necessarily its most lucrative. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 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