usual 1 of 2

adjective

ˈyü-zhə-wəl How to pronounce usual (audio)
Definition of usualnext
1
as in conventional
accepted, used, or practiced by most people that's not the usual method, but it works

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in normal
being of the type that is encountered in the normal course of events the characters in this novel are drawn with greater depth than is usual for a work of science fiction

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ubiquitous
often observed or encountered the usual reaction to the sight of the falls is one of absolute awe

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

usual

2 of 2

noun

as in ordinary

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word usual distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of usual are accustomed, customary, habitual, and wonted. While all these words mean "familiar through frequent or regular repetition," usual stresses the absence of strangeness or unexpectedness.

my usual order for lunch

How is accustomed related to other words for usual?

Accustomed is less emphatic than wonted or habitual in suggesting fixed habit or invariable custom.

accepted the compliment with her accustomed modesty

In what contexts can customary take the place of usual?

The words customary and usual are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, customary applies to what accords with the practices, conventions, or usages of an individual or community.

the customary waiting period before the application is approved

When could habitual be used to replace usual?

Although the words habitual and usual have much in common, habitual suggests a practice settled or established by much repetition.

a habitual morning routine

When is wonted a more appropriate choice than usual?

The words wonted and usual can be used in similar contexts, but wonted stresses habituation but usually applies to what is favored, sought, or purposefully cultivated.

his wonted determination

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of usual
Adjective
Complete these steps to grab a bonus for college basketball or make a larger bet than usual with a safety net. — Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025 Then again, with so much of the sun covered, perhaps the effect won't be to diminish the brightness of sunlight so much as to alter its quality: Scenery may appear strangely dusky and yellower than usual. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
Ebonē Colbert ordered her usual on her weekly trip to Wendy's with her son: a kid’s meal with a plain cheeseburger for him and a Dave’s Single, a burger topped with lettuce and tomato, for herself. — Aria Bendix, NBC News, 26 Aug. 2022 On the first day back, Evans ordered his usual: a single cheeseburger, fries and a Coke. — Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2022 See All Example Sentences for usual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usual
  1. conventional
  2. normal
  3. ubiquitous
  4. ordinary
  5. customary
  6. typical
  7. familiar
  8. rule
Adjective
  • However, the settlement is far from conventional in several ways.
    — Joe Sabin, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • So close yet so far, Placer County, where Blue Lives Matter meets balayage, felt like the right location to artificially return my fortysomething face to a state of more conventional youthful attractiveness.
    — Sarah Miller, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025
Definition of conventional
Adjective
  • Newsweek contacted the Department of Defense for further comment via email outside of normal office hours.
    — Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The facilities have to make sure the calorie intake of the people who are fasting remains the same, so the first meal would be a normal breakfast while sunset would require a double tray of dinner.
    — Shanzeh Ahmad, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Definition of normal
Adjective
  • As most of you probably know, Arm is near ubiquitous in the automotive, mobile, High-Performance Computing (HPC), and Internet of Things markets.
    — Marco Chiappetta, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
    — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2025
Definition of ubiquitous
Noun
  • Alila Napa Valley goes beyond the ordinary by offering unforgettable experiences designed to captivate modern travelers, especially Xennials.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The couple have often walked red carpets together, so it certainly wouldn’t be considered out of the ordinary for the 37-year-old to walk the Golden Globes red carpet alongside her beau as his plus-one.
    — Sam Reed, Glamour, 4 Jan. 2025
Definition of ordinary
Adjective
  • After his election in 2016, the annual Kennedy Center Honors was caught in the partisan crossfire as numerous artists vowed not to take part in the prestigious event if Trump were to attend, as has been customary for the U.S. president for decades.
    — Paul Harris, Variety, 24 Mar. 2025
  • Max Brazil’s first telenovela didn’t have a happy ending for its lead characters, as is customary in the genre.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of customary
Adjective
  • That represents an 83 percent reduction in airbag crashes relative to typical human drivers.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 Mar. 2025
  • The two stood proud in their black scrubs — a departure from the typical pink scrubs worn in the department.
    — Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of typical
Adjective
  • And then, aren’t cats emblematic of whatever is familiar but ultimately unknowable?
    — Barry Schwabsky, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Also familiar is the note of righteous outrage in the poet’s diatribe, at the end of Poem 64, against the corrupted morals of his day.
    — Daniel Mendelsohn, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of familiar
Noun
  • Dunne’s Back-Pay Argument Dunne committed to LSU in 2017, four years before the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Interim rules went into effect.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • For 18 months, every discussion about Newcastle United’s transfer strategy has necessitated mention of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of rule

Browse Nearby Words

using up
usual
usually
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Cite this Entry

“Usual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usual. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.

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