How to Use alternative in a Sentence

alternative

1 of 2 adjective
Definition of alternativenext
Synonyms for alternativenext
  • He developed an alternative design for the new engine.
  • Scientists are developing an alternative approach to treating the disease.
  • The nation had to find an alternative way to process the tragedy.
    — Zainab Salbi, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2019
  • Sirius is to come up with alternative plans by the end of the month.
    — The Economist, 17 Oct. 2019
  • But for now, alternative stores might be the best source for your tech gear.
    — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 23 Mar. 2020
  • Their advice is to use alternative routes or to not drive into the city.
    — Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2022
  • Motorists were advised to avoid the area and take alternative routes.
    — Mike Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2019
  • Now, is this sort of like the alternative fact approach to what happened?
    — SI.com, 1 June 2018
  • So the Royals looked for an alternative way to net value from the two-year deal.
    — Rustin Dodd, kansascity, 3 Nov. 2017
  • Drivers were encouraged to stay away from the area and seek alternative routes.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2022
  • Those brand new to the XFL should note a few of the league’s new, alternative rules.
    — Esten McLaren, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, 8 Feb. 2020
  • Travelers should avoid the area, and use an alternative route.
    — oregonlive, 29 July 2021
  • Kellyanne Conway talked about alternative facts at one point, so the phrase comes from her.
    — Sean Illing, Vox, 5 Feb. 2019
  • The method would be an alternative to lethal injection.
    — Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 14 Aug. 2019
  • The desire for alternative forms of healing is nothing new.
    — Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2021
  • So here is a collection of alternative facts via cartoons in this slideshow.
    — Steve Dempsey, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2017
  • There’s no room for alternative facts about the weather forecast.
    — Ben Santer, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2019
  • Through the centuries and across cultures, those who longed to go on a sacred journey would find alternative ways to do so.
    — Kathryn Barush, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2020
  • The president would rather limit us to his alternative facts.
    — Clarence Page, chicagotribune.com, 20 Nov. 2020
  • Your point of purchase will be in touch very shortly with alternative options.
    — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 16 Dec. 2021
  • Four years ago, Americans had yet to hear the phrase alternative facts.
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2020
  • But once the threat passed and prices from China dropped, alternative sources lost their appeal.
    — Willy Shih, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2021
  • Bela is one of many bakers drawn to the health benefits of alternative flours like buckwheat, spelt, and rye.
    — Aliza Abarbanel, Bon Appetit, 5 Oct. 2017
  • Hip hop shows and alternative concerts are more likely to have a standing section than blues and jazz and classic.
    — Youyou Zhou, Quartz, 14 Jan. 2020
  • As the virus spread, so too did interest in alternative birthing options.
    — The Economist, 20 June 2020
  • Those who can line up alternative housing might see their rents double.
    — Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Steele was a teacher and taught kindergarten, at am alternative high school and middle school math and science.
    — Pomerado News, 26 Sep. 2019
  • There are no alternative sources of supply when one refinery goes down.
    — Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2023
  • His bill does not propose alternative funding sources for schools.
    — al, 26 Feb. 2020
  • But alternative treatments bring their own set of challenges.
    — Bree Iskandar and Abdullahi Tsanni, STAT, 22 June 2023
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alternative

2 of 2 noun
  • We decided to leave since our only other alternative was to wait in the rain.
  • I was offered no alternative.
  • The menu offered several vegetarian alternatives.
  • The alternative is a world that none of us wants to live in.
    — Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
  • But a better alternative might be for the cops to break it up and tell the men to move on.
    — William McGurn, WSJ, 29 Dec. 2018
  • But over the long term, the alternative could very well be worse.
    — J.c. Pan, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2020
  • The rich mocha brown is a nice alternative to the usual black.
    — Georgia Trodd, Glamour, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Maybe, but the timidity of so much of the rest of the evening offered a weak alternative.
    — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 4 Oct. 2020
  • Turn back the clock on your skin with the serum that is an organic alternative to botox.
    — Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2021
  • This is a good alternative to tossing out soy milk that would go to waste.
    — Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2022
  • The alternative – by road – can take more than twice as long.
    — Sara Burnett, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2018
  • No adult who had a viable alternative would choose to live at home.
    — Sarah Todd, Quartz, 19 Aug. 2020
  • Even the charge that the games are too short ignores that the alternative is to use even shorter lesson plans.
    — WSJ, 1 Apr. 2022
  • The machine has been going for so long, what is the alternative?
    — Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, 15 Apr. 2022
  • These are used more as an alternative to acids, for home use.
    — Patrice Grell Yursik, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Aren’t some of them better than the painful alternatives?
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2020
  • And even a jittery peace is better than the bloody alternative.
    — Arkansas Online, 26 June 2021
  • This is good news, or at least better than the alternative.
    — Makena Kelly, The Verge, 23 June 2023
  • These are four alternatives that could be part of the solution.
    — Zoie Matthew, Los Angeles Magazine, 14 June 2018
  • Very few labs still use felines, and the search is on for a better alternative.
    — Bycatherine Offord, science.org, 31 Mar. 2023
  • That places Julius in a good spot to sell itself as an alternative.
    — Ben Dummett, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Some brands might market themselves as cheaper alternatives and end up at the top of the search page.
    — Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 11 Dec. 2023
  • What is the better alternative for a conflict that has been going on for this many decades?
    — CBS News, 22 Oct. 2023
  • Even if your Dad can't find the right size wrench for the job, this will serve as a handy alternative.
    — Mark Stock, Men's Health, 3 Dec. 2022
  • At the time, they were seen as a green alternative to chemicals.
    — Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2023
  • Brave is one alternative to Chrome built on the same engine.
    — Chris Smith, BGR, 22 Dec. 2021
  • All of this is unpleasant, but the alternative is much worse.
    — Zeynep Tufekci, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2020
  • Regardless, nice to have a low-key alternative to the biggest movie in the world.
    — Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 25 May 2021
  • This copper water bottle is a great alternative for the man in your life.
    — Jamie Kravitz, Woman's Day, 10 Aug. 2022
  • The city has its share of traffic woes, but there are alternatives to getting around by car.
    — The Seattle Times, 15 Oct. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alternative.' 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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