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

So, whereas the original robot had to take the time and energy to alternately inflate/deflate two actuators per up-and-down wing-flapping cycle, the new bot only has to activate one. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 10 Dec. 2024

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. 4. —Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 25 Nov. 2024

With mixer on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar and buttermilk alternately to cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with sugar. —Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2024

The film’s tone is alternately bracing — the camera is unflinching when Georgi (Stoyo Mirkov), a tyrant who briefly hires Khalid to do odd jobs, beats him with a shoe after accusing him of trying to sleep with his wife — and jubilant. —Jen Chaney, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1