necessarily

adverb

nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē 

1

: of necessity : unavoidably

The audience was necessarily small.

This endeavor necessarily involves some risk.

2

: as a logical result or consequence

… a holocaust is a disaster, but a disaster is not necessarily a holocaust.

—Harry Shaw

Synonyms of necessarily

• inevitably

Examples of necessarily in a Sentence

the argument that the existence of the universe necessarily implies the existence of an all-powerful being responsible for creating it

Recent Examples on the Web

The answer to that question isn't always obvious, though, as a costly repair doesn't necessarily mean replacement is the right move, just as an aging system isn't automatically ready for retirement. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 24 June 2026

However, despite their softness and empathy, Cancer isn’t necessarily passive. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026

While removal from the Dow did not necessarily cause Intel's rebound, still, the performance illustrates why index deletion does not always lead to further losses, especially for struggling stocks. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 24 June 2026

Less gifted players, though, would not necessarily be on as fast a track. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 24 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing necessarily

• not necessarily

Rhymes for necessarily

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