What does Otherwise mean?

Definitions for Otherwise
ˈʌð ərˌwaɪzoth·er·wise

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Otherwise.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. otherwiseadverb

    other than as supposed or expected

    "the outcome was otherwise"

  2. otherwiseadverb

    in other respects or ways

    "he is otherwise normal"; "the funds are not otherwise available"; "an otherwise hopeless situation"

  3. differently, otherwise, other thanadverb

    in another and different manner

    "very soon you will know differently"; "she thought otherwise"; "there is no way out other than the fire escape";

Wiktionary

  1. otherwiseadverb

    Differently, in another way.

    You may be right, but I think otherwise.

  2. otherwiseadverb

    In different circumstances; or else.

  3. otherwiseadverb

    In all other respects.

    He prayed to Neptune every day. Otherwise he behaved rationally.

  4. otherwiseadjective

    Other than supposed, different.

    He said he didn't do it, but the evidence was otherwise.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Otherwiseadverb

    Etymology: other and wise.

    They only plead, that whatsoever God revealeth, as necessary for all Christian men to do and believe, the same we ought to embrace, whether we have received it by writing or otherwise, which no man denieth. Richard Hooker, b. i.

    The whole church hath not tied the parts unto one and the same thing, they being therein left each to their own choice, may either do as others do, or else otherwise, without any breach of duty at all. Richard Hooker, b. iv. s. 13.

    In these good things, what all others should practise, we should scarce know to practise otherwise. Thomas Sprat.

    Thy father was a worthy prince,
    And merited, alas! a better fate;
    But heaven thought otherwise. Joseph Addison, Cato.

    Sir John Norris failed in the attempts of Lisborn, and returned with the loss, by sickness and otherwise, of eight thousand men. Walter Raleigh.

    It is said truly, that the best men otherwise, are not always the best in regard of society. Richard Hooker, b. i.

    Men seldom consider God any otherwise than in relation to themselves, and therefore want some extraordinary benefits to excite their attention and engage their love. John Rogers.

ChatGPT

  1. otherwise

    Otherwise is an adverb or conjunction that means "in circumstances different from those mentioned," "if not," or "or else." It is used to express an alternative or opposite condition or possibility.

Suggested Resources

  1. otherwise

    Song lyrics by otherwise -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by otherwise on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Otherwise' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1233

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Otherwise' in Written Corpus Frequency: #909

  3. Adverbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Otherwise' in Adverbs Frequency: #115

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce Otherwise?

How to say Otherwise in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Otherwise in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Otherwise in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of Otherwise in a Sentence

  1. European Commission officials:

    Migration is not a popular or pretty topic. It is easy to cry in front of your TV set when witnessing these tragedies. It is harder to stand up and take responsibility. What we need now is the collective courage to follow through with concrete action on words that will otherwise ring empty.

  2. David Eastburn:

    Due to the complexity of this new medical standard, trained medical officers will perform a medical prescreen of transgender applicants for military service who otherwise meet all applicable applicant standards.

  3. Suyuti Syamsul:

    Because they have been in the water some days, the bodies are bloated, but otherwise intact.

  4. Michelle Rodriguez:

    I'm going to celebrate him, and I'm going to celebrate everything that he represented about the celebration of life and the love of pushing life to its edge because there are individuals on this planet that can't live otherwise, they can't live ordinary lives cooped up hiding from danger and I'm one of those people and he was one of those people, fast Furious 7.

  5. Carlo Calenda:

    Because otherwise we cannot put an ISDS clause with China or Vietnam, because we are using ISDS clauses all around the world and because we are able to write an ISDS clause without any prejudice for the power of the state.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Otherwise#1#1545#10000

Translations for Otherwise

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • عكس ذلكArabic
  • altramentCatalan, Valencian
  • jinakCzech
  • andernfalls, ansonsten, sonst, andersGerman
  • αλλιώςGreek
  • aliokaze, alimaniere, alikazeEsperanto
  • fuera de eso, si no, por otra parte, por lo demás, de lo contrario, aparte de esto, de otra maneraSpanish
  • در غیر این صورتPersian
  • muutoin, muuten, toisinFinnish
  • pour le reste, autrement, sinonFrench
  • a chaochladhScottish Gaelic
  • नहीं तोHindi
  • The translation of "otherwise" to Hungarian is "különben."Hungarian
  • alterementeInterlingua
  • in altre circostanze, differentemente, a parte ciò, per altri aspettiItalian
  • その他, さもなくば, 他の点ではJapanese
  • ئه‌گیناKurdish
  • anders, anderszinsDutch
  • poza tym, inaczejPolish
  • em contrário, [[de]] [[outro]] [[jeito]]/[[modo]], [[fora]] [[isso]], senão, contrário, diferentemente, no mais, diferente, [[de]] [[outra]] [[forma]]/[[maneira]]Portuguese
  • в прочем, в противном случае, в других отношениях, иначеRussian
  • suprotnoSerbo-Croatian
  • annorlunda, annars, i annat fall, i övrigtSwedish
  • aksi takdirdeTurkish

Get even more translations for Otherwise »

Translation

Find a translation for the Otherwise definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Otherwise." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LTD, 2026. Web. 24 Jul 2026. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Otherwise>.

Discuss these Otherwise definitions with the community:

    Are we missing a good definition for Otherwise? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    a symptom of reduced quality or strength
    A deterioration
    B transition
    C trigger
    D vehicle

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for Otherwise: