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

• ineluctably
• inescapably
• inevitably
• ipso facto
• needs
• perforce
• unavoidably

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

An apocalyptic adventure story teeming with rock and rollers, samizdat books, worker rebellions, and underground societies, the novel envisions this land and its future not as utopian or dystopian, necessarily, but rather as a site of branching possibilities. —David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2025

The Ninth Circuit opinion relied on the urologist’s claim that gender confirmation surgery was necessarily limiting. —Natalie Shibley / Made By History, TIME, 21 Feb. 2025

But as explained in the introduction above, wealthy taxpayers have had and likely will have an array of financial and tax strategies to access wealth without necessarily triggering income taxes. —Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Adams didn’t sound like that was necessarily a requirement for Dallas to have success on the ground. —Jon MacHota, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025

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