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

Dramatic section for Dylan O’Brien, who plays gay and straight twins with alternately dark, dramatic and over-the-top flamboyant flair. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025

Combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and add alternately with the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. 8. —Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025

Senators were alternately sympathetic and combative toward Kennedy’s views on health during his confirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday. —Emily Mullin, WIRED, 31 Jan. 2025

With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. —Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 27 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1