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
Some mentions of outer space for Project Hail Mary, but otherwise this could’ve happened any week preceding a Styles show.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2026
That'll disproportionately help the people who need it the most, which might include the people that would've otherwise been in those DEI programs.
—Jo Ling Kent, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
And 2,000 additional homes will break ground this year that otherwise would not have.
—Matt Mahan, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
Agriculture uses much of the water that would otherwise flow to the Great Salt Lake.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for otherwise
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2026
That'll disproportionately help the people who need it the most, which might include the people that would've otherwise been in those DEI programs.
—Jo Ling Kent, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
And 2,000 additional homes will break ground this year that otherwise would not have.
—Matt Mahan, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
Agriculture uses much of the water that would otherwise flow to the Great Salt Lake.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for otherwise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for otherwise
Adverb
-
Yet Aster diagnoses them, and everyone else, with a deadly case of social media brain rot.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Only Clark’s passivity seems more out of the boredom of having peaked at local-news celebrity status than anything else.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The central bank is likely to soon have a new leader who sees inflation very differently.—
Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
-
There is a reason that professionals do it differently.—
Daniel Scott,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Otherwise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/otherwise. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
