English

Alternative forms

• otherwize

Adverb

otherwise ‎(not comparable)

1. (manner) Differently, in another way.

   You may have a point, but I think otherwise.‎

   • 2011, Phil McNulty, Euro 2012: Montenegro 2-2 England

     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, Richard Jefferies, The Amateur Poacher, chapter1:

     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.

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:

     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.‎

   • 2013, Phil McNulty, BBC Sport, 1 September:

     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

• "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

• (differently): elsewise, contrarily, contrastingly
• (in different circumstances): if not, else (see or else)
• (in all other respects): apart from that

Antonyms

• likewise

Translations

Adjective

otherwise ‎(not comparable)

1. Other than supposed; different.

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

Translations