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
Maggie ScarfOrdinarily, the immune system of any mammal will work to fight off a fungal parasite.—David Quammen
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
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
Walt WhitmanExamples 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
Governors wouldn’t ordinarily file a court case contesting a president’s foreign policy.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
His hands, ordinarily trapped in the pockets of his tracksuit when not frantically presenting tactical instructions or wagging a finger at opposition benches, escaped midway through the second half of his side’s 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion to savour the moment with the Palace supporters.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The owners, have decided that the Arena will sap most of the big shows that ordinarily would go to the Sportatorium.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
So my most fundamental goal was to use baseball to bring attention to this history on a wider scale from people who ordinarily would not be interested and to see, of course, how this history resonates with what’s happening today in this country.
—Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
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George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
His hands, ordinarily trapped in the pockets of his tracksuit when not frantically presenting tactical instructions or wagging a finger at opposition benches, escaped midway through the second half of his side’s 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion to savour the moment with the Palace supporters.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The owners, have decided that the Arena will sap most of the big shows that ordinarily would go to the Sportatorium.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2025
So my most fundamental goal was to use baseball to bring attention to this history on a wider scale from people who ordinarily would not be interested and to see, of course, how this history resonates with what’s happening today in this country.
—Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ordinarily
Cite this Entry
“Ordinarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ordinarily. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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