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
Stephen KingAs the gravitational waves passed Earth, they would alternately compress and expand the space between two objects.—Neil deGrasse Tyson et al.
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
Rick Riordan2
: 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
Kerry PechterThe 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
John KatsilometesYou could be in for a pretty remarkable experience—or, alternately, one of the most miserable and terrifying nights of your life.—Drew Schwartz
Drew SchwartzExamples of alternately in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Add eggs, followed by the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 May 2024
Her Dagmar is alternately charming and ruthless, clearly a woman scarred by her own experiences, her pleasant matronly face a mask disguising the bestiality under the skin.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for alternately 
Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 15 May 2024
Her Dagmar is alternately charming and ruthless, clearly a woman scarred by her own experiences, her pleasant matronly face a mask disguising the bestiality under the skin.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for alternately
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alternately.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Alternately.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternately. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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