optionally

adverb

as in alternatively

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of optionally In an example video, Google demonstrates how the user can speak long, complex instructions, optionally referring to files on the local computer, and have Gemini synthesize a response directly into a document or email. — Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 This partnership is set to provide a means of churning out large numbers of autonomous or optionally crewed ships in American shipyards. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 July 2026 Remote control operation, likely for maneuvering and parking the trailer via app without the tow vehicle, and multi-stage water filtration will be available optionally. — New Atlas, 23 July 2026 Both sizes are optionally available with LTE connectivity in addition to the standard Bluetooth for an extra $50. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 22 July 2026 The 16-way adjustable sport seats are standard, while performance seats shelled in carbon fiber—presenting more aggressive thigh and shoulder bolsters—are optionally available. — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 8 May 2026 Many Americans falsely conflate Sikh turbans, which are religious garments worn by men to protect their uncut hair and considered mandatory for everyday wear, with turbans worn by Muslims optionally and largely for cultural reasons. — Susie Neilson, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2026 Holes can be cut in the fabric to insert garden plants, and optionally the fabric can be covered with mulch to hide it. — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optionally
  1. alternatively
  2. either
  3. instead
  4. alternately
Adverb
  • Accessed by some steps between the bathroom and bedroom, it's shown here furnished with a couple of single beds but could alternatively be used to stash belongings or as a kid's room or general hangout space.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Might that be because this particular partner would include politicians prone to grandstanding — or, alternatively, focused more on mundane issues such as schools and crime than on horse racing?
    — Stephen J. K. Walters, Baltimore Sun, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of alternatively
Adverb
  • Since a quantum sensor does not need to receive or send a signal to an external device, it cannot be hacked or be spoofed by a fake incoming signal either.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Steinway Society is a group focused on spreading the gift of music by providing piano lessons — and pianos themselves — to kids who might not otherwise be able to afford either.
    — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of either
Adverb
  • So when Billie and Issa get an actual offer for drinks with two firefighters who come to the house, Billie puts on a goofy British accent à la Issa and turns them down, choosing a quiet night at home with her friend instead.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • On September 6, 1901, a setting intended to showcase the thrill of a new century instead became the scene of a presidential assassination.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of instead
Adverb
  • The Islamic Republic has alternately—or simultaneously—behaved like a cause and a rational nation.
    — Nate Swanson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The $4 billion white steel, glass, and marble design by the Spanish Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava — alternately compared to a cathedral and a whale carcass — looks and feels like nothing else on the planet, much less a mall.
    — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of alternately

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optional
optionally
options
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Cite this Entry

“Optionally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optionally. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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