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

To spotlight a Mexican American pioneer who still stands proud in all the nuances of his identity feels necessarily defiant — especially in 2026. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026

That’s not a problem, necessarily, for the first quarter of 2026. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 23 Jan. 2026

While the show would necessarily have to give their opponent equal time on the same program, the network may have to give free commercial time elsewhere. —Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Jan. 2026

Neither is necessarily a bad thing, but a large refund can also mean less take-home pay during the year and is the equivalent of making an interest-free loan to the government. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 21 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