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Definition of usually - 3 dictionary results

u⋅su⋅al

  [yoo-zhoo-uhl, yoozh-wuhl]
Use usually in a Sentence
–adjective
1. habitual or customary: her usual skill.
2. commonly met with or observed in experience; ordinary: the usual January weather.
3. commonplace; everyday: He says the usual things.
–noun
4. something that is usual: He could expect only the usual.
—Idiom
5. as usual, in the customary or usual manner: As usual, he forgot my birthday.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL ūsuālis, equiv. to L ūsu-, s. of ūsus use (see use (n.)) + -ālis -al 1 ; cf. OF usuel

Related forms:
u⋅su⋅al⋅ly, adverb
u⋅su⋅al⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. accustomed. Usual, customary, habitual refer to a settled and constant practice. Usual indicates something that is to be expected by reason of previous experience, which shows it to occur more often than not: There were the usual crowds at the celebration. Something that is customary is in accordance with prevailing usage or individual practice: It is customary to finish up with a bonfire. That which is habitual has become settled or constant as the result of habit on the part of the individual: The merchants wore habitual smiles throughout the season. 2. general, prevailing, prevalent, familiar, regular. 3. expected, predictable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To usually
u·su·al   (yōō'zhōō-əl)   
adj.  

  1. Commonly encountered, experienced, or observed: the usual summer heat.

  2. Regularly or customarily used: ended the speech with the usual expressions of thanks.

  3. In conformity with regular practice or procedure: Come at the usual time.


[Middle English, from Old French usuel, from Late Latin ūsuālis, from Latin ūsus, use, from past participle of ūtī, to use.]
u'su·al·ly adv., u'su·al·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives apply to what is expected or familiar because it occurs frequently or recurs regularly. Usual describes what accords with normal, common, or ordinary practice or procedure: "The parson said the usual things about the sea—its blueness . . . its beauty" (George du Maurier).
Habitual implies repetition and force of habit: a habitual liar.
Customary and accustomed refer to conformity with prevailing customs or conventions: "It is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions" (Thomas H. Huxley). She resolved the difficulty with her accustomed resourcefulness.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

usual 
1387, from O.Fr. usuel (1298), from L.L. usualis "ordinary," from L. usus "custom" (see use). The adv. form usually is attested from 1477. The usual suspects is from a line delivered by Claude Rains (as a Fr. police inspector) in "Casablanca" (1942).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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