How to Use otherwise in a Sentence

otherwise

adverb
Definition of otherwisenext
Synonyms for otherwisenext
  • All of the books had been burned or otherwise destroyed.
  • I didn't like the ending, but otherwise it was a very good book.
  • The women talked in the living room while the men were otherwise occupied.
  • Art allows us to express things that we would not be able to express otherwise.
  • Something must be wrong; otherwise, he would have called.
  • One of the boys has a freckle on his cheek. Otherwise, the twins are nearly identical.
  • The test helps identify problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
  • But the ranges of scores among the same group of students shows otherwise.
    — Sarah Freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, 27 Oct. 2017
  • The notes are otherwise unchanged from the designs used for the late Queen.
    — Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 18 July 2023
  • Each of those is a rental unit that a Utahn could otherwise call home.
    — Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Feb. 2022
  • Maybe that's good for a win or two down the stretch that might not have otherwise been there.
    — Rahat Huq, Chron, 14 Feb. 2022
  • The entire Northeast will otherwise be cool and windy to start the week.
    — Brandon Noriega, Fox News, 2 Nov. 2020
  • There’s a pool, but otherwise the focus here is the scenery and the cuisine.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2022
  • The Sox otherwise didn’t have an extra-base hit in the series.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2021
  • Most patients were otherwise healthy and in their late teens and 20s.
    — Knvul Sheikh, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2019
  • Otherwise, the Tigers will be easy marks for good passing teams.
    — Edgar Thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, 5 July 2017
  • But otherwise this is not the time to start a new Brio or Johnny Carino’s.
    — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2024
  • Mykael Wright gave up one big play but was good otherwise.
    — oregonlive, 15 Nov. 2020
  • The Sun Devils will get a chance to prove otherwise with the postseason here.
    — Michelle Gardner, The Arizona Republic, 14 May 2023
  • Nor is bread, stale or otherwise, salty foods or moldy stuff.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Oct. 2020
  • The hospice is designed to care for people who might otherwise die on the streets.
    — Cynthia Hubert, sacbee, 16 May 2018
  • Plans call for all events, virtual and otherwise, to be free and open to the public.
    — Ryan Patrick Hooper, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2021
  • Breezy in the morning; otherwise, times of clouds and sun with a shower in places in the afternoon.
    — The Enquirer, 13 June 2023
  • It was well set up to build a glacier in what is otherwise a hot, dry place — from a glacier’s point of view, anyway.
    — Carisa Cegavske, oregonlive, 29 Dec. 2021
  • But otherwise, what was there for Djokovic to be disturbed about?
    — Howard Fendrich and Jerome Pugmire, SFChronicle.com, 29 Sep. 2020
  • This is a space for some of the news and issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.
    — Scott Wartman, Cincinnati.com, 26 Oct. 2017
  • Two young men sat next to it, around a fire, in an otherwise pitch-dark street, their feet covered in mud and clothes in dust.
    — Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, 15 Sep. 2023
  • Hubble uses that time to slew to the next target, and otherwise get ready.
    — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 11 July 2022
  • Many parts of the forest are blocked by trees or will otherwise remain closed.
    — oregonlive, 25 Sep. 2020
  • Corkins says both children are otherwise healthy enough to be at home.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN, 19 May 2022

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