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

Antitrust law ordinarily demands that competitors compete. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 June 2024

So have moderate Republican groups such as the Defending Main Street super PAC that do not ordinarily gravitate toward flamboyant MAGA cheerleaders like McGuire, who has had enormous Trump flags fluttering from the back of his Ford pickup since 2016. —Chris Suarez, Washington Post, 18 June 2024

Since parliamentary elections held at the beginning of his second term in 2022, Macron has been ruling without an absolute majority in parliament, ordinarily unable to pass bills with his lawmakers alone. —Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, 10 June 2024

All of the emotions ordinarily associated with one of soccer’s showpieces — hope, excitement, fear, wonder about how England will sabotage itself — have been overshadowed by something else, something closer to ennui. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 7 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above