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

Neither will there necessarily be a dramatic Promethean demonstration, a bomb flash in the desert, a satellite beeping overhead, a moon landing. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026

The damages are less than plaintiffs had asked for but represent a lot of money to Kaley, said attorney Jayne Conroy, if not necessarily to the companies. —Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026

Following the spillover of smog, the region’s pollution control domain necessarily grew bigger. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026

This kind of love is not strictly (or even necessarily) a feeling or emotion; it is directed toward the good of others, even at a cost to oneself. —Big Think, 26 Mar. 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