alternately

adverb

al·​ter·​nate·​ly

US and Canadian

ˈȯl-tər-nət-lē 

 also  ˈal-;

 chiefly British  ȯl-ˈtər-

1

: by turns one after the other

His heart rate was 175, his blood pressure alternately spiking and falling.

—Stephen King

As the gravitational waves passed Earth, they would alternately compress and expand the space between two objects.

—Neil deGrasse Tyson et al.

The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train … or looking out the windows.

—Rick Riordan

2

: as an alternative

—used to introduce a different possibility from what has been previously suggested or described

From then on, you can take out almost $10,000 a year and annuitize $160,000 after at least ten years. Alternately, you can make no withdrawals and let your guaranteed base grow by 6 percent a year.

—Kerry Pechter

The club was originally known as Fontana Bar (or, alternately, Fontana Lounge and Fontana Room) from Bellagio's opening until it shifted to Hyde in December 2011.

—John Katsilometes

You could be in for a pretty remarkable experience—or, alternately, one of the most miserable and terrifying nights of your life.

—Drew Schwartz

Examples of alternately in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Behind an uber-physical offensive line, an ultra-aggressive coach, and defenses and offenses full of some of the league’s most promising players, the Lions already clinched a playoff spot by alternately crushing opponents and being more creative. —Andrew Greif, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2024

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating until smooth after reach addition. —Journal Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024

The bottom line October in the U.S. is the season for pumpkin spice, but the month also harbors the dangerous edge of Halloween. And getting spooked and soothed alternately is indeed what markets are doing in October. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2024

So, whereas the original robot had to take the time and energy to alternately inflate/deflate two actuators per up-and-down wing-flapping cycle, the new bot only has to activate one. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1