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

• commonly
• generally
• natch [slang]
• naturally
• normally
• typically
• usually

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

What is unusual is the attentiveness to what would ordinarily be background information. —Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

The stakes in play will inevitably help convince the participating clubs to field their strongest teams this summer but the disquiet from players persists ahead of a summer that would ordinarily have been vacant for high-profile events. —Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025

As speaker, Johnson's opposition would ordinarily keep the plan from ever receiving a floor vote. —Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2025

Beach parking permits for cars, ordinarily reserved for town residents, are made available to guests. —Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 15 Mar. 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