ordinarily

adverb

or·​di·​nar·​i·​ly ˌȯr-də-ˈner-ə-lē 

: in an ordinary manner or to an ordinary extent: such as

a

: in the ordinary course of events : usually

She was ordinarily very busy in the morning.

the jobs ordinarily handled by junior staff members

… cortisol, a hormone which ordinarily comes into play in situations of bodily stress …

—Maggie Scarf

Ordinarily, the immune system of any mammal will work to fight off a fungal parasite.

—David Quammen

b

: to the usual extent : moderately

It must suffice for him to be ordinarily honest according to the ordinary honesty of the world's ways …

—Anthony Trollope

c

: in a commonplace or inferior way : without distinction

A friend of mine … has two apartments on the 3rd floor, very ordinarily furnished …

—Walt Whitman

Synonyms of ordinarily

• usually
• normally
• typically

Examples of ordinarily in a Sentence

ordinarily, I get off work at five, but this week I'm working late to meet a project deadline

Recent Examples on the Web

Diaz-Twine and her daughter, Nina Twine, will serve as companions to Eric Rivera, Nina's boyfriend who ordinarily works as an autobody technician and will take on the wilderness alone. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025

Inflation is still well above the Fed's target, which would ordinarily call for keeping interest rates elevated. —Scott Horsley, NPR, 10 Dec. 2025

Every emotion feels like the opposite of what might ordinarily be expected. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

The statutes that authorize ICE’s functions ordinarily require an administrative warrant before the detention of a noncitizen. —Noah Feldman, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ordinarily

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