Definition of 'ordinary'
1. adjective
Ordinary people or things are normal and not special or different in any way.
2.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
ordinary in American English
nounWord forms: plural ˈordiˌnaries
1.
a.
an official having jurisdiction within a specified area by right of the office he
or she holds; esp., a bishop having such jurisdiction within his or her own diocese
2. British
a.
a set meal served regularly at the same price
b.
an inn, tavern, etc. where such meals are served
4. [often O-]; Ecclesiastical
a.
the form to be followed in a service
b.
the parts of the Mass that are fixed or relatively unvarying; common
adjective
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈcommon
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
ordinariness (ˌordiˈnariness)
noun
Word origin
OFr & ML: OFr ordinarie < ML(Ec) ordinarius < L, an overseer, orig., orderly, regular < ordo, orderWord Frequency
ordinary in American English
(ˈɔrdnˌeri) (noun plural -naries)
adjective
1.
of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional
One novel is brilliant, the other is decidedly ordinary
an ordinary person
4.
customary; usual; normal
We plan to do the ordinary things this weekend
noun
SYNONYMS 3. See common. 4. regular, accustomed.ANTONYMS 1. extraordinary, unusual.8.
the commonplace or average condition, degree, etc
ability far above the ordinary
9.
something regular, customary, or usual
12. English Ecclesiastical Law
a bishop, archbishop, or other ecclesiastic or his deputy, in his capacity as an ex officio ecclesiastical authority
13. (in some US states)
a judge of a court of probate
14. Brit (in a restaurant or inn)
15.
16.
a high bicycle of an early type, with one large wheel in front and one small wheel behind
18. See in ordinary
19. See out of the ordinary
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
ordinariness noun
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME ordinarie (n. and adj.) ‹ L ordinārius regular, of the usual order, equiv. to ordin- ( see order) + -ārius -ary]Word Frequency
ordinary in British English
adjective
1.
of common or established type or occurrence
2.
3.
5. mathematics
(of a differential equation) containing two variables only and derivatives of one of the variables with respect to the other
nounWord forms: plural -naries
7.
a normal or commonplace person or thing
9. (usually capital)
an ecclesiastic, esp a bishop, holding an office to which certain jurisdictional powers are attached
12. heraldry
15. See in ordinary
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C16: (adj) and C13: (some n senses): ultimately from Latin ordinārius orderly, from ordō order
Examples of 'ordinary' in a sentence
ordinary
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Word lists with
ordinary
heraldryQuick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
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Which heraldic term am I?
a coat of arms making visual reference to the surname of its owner
Which heraldic term am I?
the heraldic bearings of a person, family, or corporation
Which heraldic term am I?
any diurnal bird of prey of the family Falconidae, esp any of the genus Falco (gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, etc), typically having pointed wings and a long tail
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Trends of
ordinary
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In other languages
ordinary
British English: ordinary
/ˈɔːdnrɪ/ ADJECTIVE
Ordinary people or things are not special or different in any way.
Most ordinary people would agree with me.
- American English: ordinary /ˈɔrdənɛri/
- Arabic: عَادِيٌّ
- Brazilian Portuguese: comum
- Chinese: 普通的
- Croatian: običan
- Czech: obyčejný
- Danish: almindelig
- Dutch: gewoon
- European Spanish: corriente normal
- Finnish: tavallinen
- French: ordinaire
- German: gewöhnlich
- Greek: συνηθισμένος
- Italian: ordinario
- Japanese: 普通の
- Korean: 보통의
- Norwegian: hverdagslig
- Polish: zwykły
- European Portuguese: comum
- Romanian: obișnuit
- Russian: обычный
- Spanish: corriente ordinario
- Swedish: vanlig
- Thai: ธรรมดา
- Turkish: sıradan
- Ukrainian: звичайний
- Vietnamese: bình thường
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Definition of ordinary from the Collins English Dictionary
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