Wiktionary

otherwise

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English otherwise, othre wise, from Old English on ōþre wīsan (literally “in (on) other/different manner”); equivalent to other +‎ -wise. Compare West Frisian yn oarwei (“otherwise”), Icelandic öðruvísi (“different”).

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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otherwise (not comparable)

  1. (manner) Differently, in another way.
    You may have a point, but I think otherwise.
    Could I do otherwise than smile?
    It is not permitted to sell or otherwise distribute any copies.
    There was one rotten apple in an otherwise perfect batch.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 6:3:
      If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, euen the wordes of our Lord Iesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godlinesse:
    • 1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter iii:
      Much as I wish that I had not to write this chapter, I know that I shall have to swallow many such bitter draughts in the course of this narrative. And I cannot do otherwise, if I claim to be a worshipper of Truth. […]
    • 2011, Phil McNulty, Euro 2012: Montenegro 2-2 England‎[1]:
      Fabio Capello insisted Rooney was in the right frame of mind to play in stormy Podgorica despite his father's arrest on Thursday in a probe into alleged betting irregularities, but his flash of temper - when he kicked out at Miodrag Dzudovic - suggested otherwise.
  2. (conjunctive) In different circumstances; or else.
    I’m not well today, otherwise I would have helped.
    You have to open your umbrella, otherwise you'll get wet.
    • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
      They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.
    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 46:
      No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.
    • 2012 March-April, Terrence J. Sejnowski, “Well-connected Brains”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 171:
      Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered, […].
  3. (conjunctive) In all other respects.
    He lost his temper once in a while. Otherwise he behaved rationally.
    • 1977 December 10, Mark N. Silber, “Gays On Campus — One Story”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 23, page 9:
      Looking back at more than four years spent going to college I can now positively say that the most meaninful thing I accomplished (the only meaningful thing I accomplished!) was establishing a gay liberation group on campus. Otherwise my college education was almost useless.
    • 2013 September 1, Phil McNulty, BBC Sport‎[2]:
      Robin van Persie squandered United's best chance late on but otherwise it was a relatively comfortable afternoon for Liverpool's new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has yet to concede a Premier League goal since his £9m summer move from Sunderland.

Usage notes

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  • "Otherwise" is often used to refer to the negative of something. The something may be a noun phrase, a verb phrase, an adjective phrase, an adverb phrase, a clause, or even something larger.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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otherwise (not comparable)

  1. Other than supposed; different.
    He said he didn’t do it, but the evidence was otherwise.

Translations

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