Meanings
- not comparableIn an alternative way.
Thus, we are creating a new class struggle between those who live within the social system and those who are marginalized or wish to live alternatively.
2001, Hans-Peter Martin, Is Globalization a Trap?, published in Keys to the 21st Century (edited by Jérôme Bindé) on page 3503 more examples
Observers should keep in mind that these efforts at living alternatively are not easily undertaken; indeed, if they were, more people would be doing what they do.
1998, Marie D. Hoff (editor), Sustainable Community Development, page 99Devising obviously asks for what we understand as general creativity, like the ability to take an initiative, to invent, to think alternatively, to associate interestingly, to create metaphors and images.
2003, Torunn Kjølner and Janek Szatkowski, Dramaturgy in Building Multimedia Performances, published in Production methods: behind the scenes of virtual inhabited 3D worlds: Volume 1 (edited by Kim Halskov Madsen), on page 127Most people living alternatively have strong pro-environmental values and, unlike many 'greens' in mainstream society, are generally able to apply their values in day-to-day life.
2005, Graham Meltzer, Sustainable Community: Learning from the Cohousing Model, page 3 - conjunctivenot comparableUsed to link a pair of opposing possibilities.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinalternātīvus
- Middle Frenchalternatif
- Englishalternative
- Englishalternatively
From alternative + -ly.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan alternativament
- alternativamentin an alternative way
Esperanto alterne, alternative
- alternein an alternative way
- alternativein an alternative way
Finnish vaihtoehtoisesti
- vaihtoehtoisestiin an alternative way
German alternativ, andernfalls
- alternativin an alternative way
- andernfallsin an alternative way
- andererseitsin an alternative way
- beziehungsweisein an alternative way
- ersatzweisein an alternative way
- hilfsweisein an alternative way
- oder aberin an alternative way
Italian in alternativa
- in alternativain an alternative way
Korean 또는
- 또는 (ttoneun)in an alternative way
Polish ewentualnie, alternatywnie
- ewentualniein an alternative way
- alternatywniein an alternative way
Portuguese alternativamente
- alternativamentein an alternative way
Spanish si no, en lugar de
- si noin an alternative way
- en lugar dein an alternative way
Swedish alternativt
- alternativtin an alternative way
Turkish alternativ olarak, ya da
- alternativ olarakin an alternative way
- ya dain an alternative way
Cite this entry
alternatively. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alternatively
“alternatively.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alternatively. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alternatively,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alternatively.
Source: alternatively on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.