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

The results don’t suggest that either form of storytelling—conceptual or perceptual—is necessarily easier to remember than the other; participants in the new study recalled the stories told in these two ways roughly equally. —Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025

Desai, who wasn't involved in this study, doesn't think the sport is necessarily getting more dangerous. —Arundathi Nair, NPR, 19 Oct. 2025

The movie isn’t terrible, necessarily. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025

Raises aren’t even necessarily off the table at organizations that are downsizing, according to some experts. —Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 16 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