necessarily

adverb

nec·​es·​sar·​i·​ly ˌne-sə-ˈser-ə-lē How to pronounce necessarily (audio)
Synonyms of necessarilynext
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

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Milanesi agrees safeguards should be in place, but isn’t convinced AI replacing humans on spreadsheets is necessarily inviting a higher risk of error. — Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Hinduism itself has long wrestled with the question of how many gods there are, and different answers have been proposed throughout its history, but none of those answers necessarily invalidates the others. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 And our rhythm of releases are not now necessarily tied to just milestone anniversary events, right? — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026 That’s still the expectation, though the last several days have certainly been perplexing, if not necessarily worrisome. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for necessarily

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of necessarily was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing necessarily

Rhymes for necessarily

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Browse Nearby Words

necessarianism
necessarily
necessariness
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Cite this Entry

“Necessarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necessarily. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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