otherwise

Definition of otherwisenext
as in else
in a different way the candidate was gracious in his defeat, though he clearly wished the election had gone otherwise

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 otherwise The company said the inspection technology can identify very small issues that could otherwise be missed during production checks. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026 With real interest rates at about ten percent, servicing that debt is extraordinarily expensive, consuming resources that might otherwise be used to strengthen the country’s security forces or fund other strategic priorities. — Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026 Its successes have provided a spark of optimism in what has otherwise been a bleak few months for Ukraine. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026 Plenty of vendors will sell you a framework that assumes otherwise. — Shweta Gummidipudi, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for otherwise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for otherwise
Adverb
  • Fresh Air critic John Powers describes it as a unique blend of creepiness, sarcastic humor and political anger, unlike anything else on TV.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Almost every house was then surrounded by adjacent empty lots that had been seized to ensure that no one else would build.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Adverb
  • But Perriello is betting that voters will see the race differently.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Those were both comedies about seismic events; Digger does it differently, a satire of disaster movies that says the real disaster is ourselves.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Otherwise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/otherwise. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster