ordinarily

adverb

or·​di·​nar·​i·​ly ˌȯr-də-ˈner-ə-lē 

: in an ordinary manner or to an ordinary extent: such as

a

: in the ordinary course of events : usually

She was ordinarily very busy in the morning.

the jobs ordinarily handled by junior staff members

… cortisol, a hormone which ordinarily comes into play in situations of bodily stress …

—Maggie Scarf

Ordinarily, the immune system of any mammal will work to fight off a fungal parasite.

—David Quammen

b

: to the usual extent : moderately

It must suffice for him to be ordinarily honest according to the ordinary honesty of the world's ways …

—Anthony Trollope

c

: in a commonplace or inferior way : without distinction

A friend of mine … has two apartments on the 3rd floor, very ordinarily furnished …

—Walt Whitman

Synonyms

• usually
• normally
• typically

Examples of ordinarily in a Sentence

ordinarily, I get off work at five, but this week I'm working late to meet a project deadline

Recent Examples on the Web

That said, because the Sasquatch shoots at a whopping 6 x 17 aspect ratio, a standard roll of 120 film – which would ordinarily be good for around a dozen exposures – will only get you four shots … so plan them carefully. —New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025

In fact, the tools available to the company that would ordinarily discourage activism are in this situation more of poison chalice. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2025

In August, Martin sent James a letter calling for her resignation, leapfrogging multiple steps federal prosecutors ordinarily undertake to determine whether the subject of an investigation engaged in criminal activity. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2025

Likewise, the Suns might assert that team disputes are ordinarily reviewed by grievance procedures outlined by the NBA constitution and bylaws, which govern teams and owners, and ultimately overseen by NBA commissioner Adam Silver. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ordinarily

• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• momentarily
• necessarily
• secondarily
• temporarily
• voluntarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily