- under other circumstances: Otherwise they may get broken.
- in another manner; differently: Under the circumstances, I can't believe otherwise.
- in other respects: an otherwise happy life.
- or else; if not: Button up your overcoat, otherwise you'll catch cold.
- other or different; of another nature or kind: We hoped his behavior would be otherwise.
- in other or different circumstances: An otherwise pleasure had become a grinding chore.
Origin of otherwise
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for otherwise
Placed in drinking water, fluoride can serve people who otherwise have poor access to dental care.Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
July 27, 2016
If someone wants to ensure a direct and secure connection, no entity, whether a hotel or otherwise, should be able to block it.How ‘Ethical’ Hotel Chain Marriott Gouges Guests in the Name of Wi-Fi Security
December 31, 2014
Larson, as usual, instills gravitas and agency in an otherwise underwritten character.Brie Larson’s Hollywood Transformation
December 29, 2014
Millennials—rich or otherwise—have been notoriously uninterested in politics.When Will We See a #Millennial Congress?
December 26, 2014
Otherwise, we will be but celebrating an empty holiday, missing its true meaning altogether.Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.
December 25, 2014
Otherwise I may behave in a manner to be regretted in my calmer moments.The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Ladies should have with them as much jewelry as possible, borrowed or otherwise.
Otherwise, he would not have cared to go on destroying life for no useful end.Brave and Bold
The three gave Andy a look and a grunt, but otherwise they paid no attention to him.Way of the Lawless
"Of course I am, otherwise I wouldn't have mentioned it," declared Emma.Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus
Jessie Graham Flower
- or else; if not, thengo home — otherwise your mother will worry
- differentlyI wouldn't have thought otherwise
- in other respectsan otherwise hopeless situation
- (predicative) of an unexpected nature; differentthe facts are otherwise
- something different in outcomesuccess or otherwise
C14: from Old English on ōthre wīsan in other manner
The expression otherwise than means in any other way than and should not be followed by an adjective: no-one taught by this method can be other than (not otherwise than) successful; you are not allowed to use the building otherwise than as a private dwelling
Word Origin and History for otherwise
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper