ordinary

IPA/ˈɔːdnri/
KK[ˈɔrdənˌɛri]IPA/ˈɔːrdneri/

ordinary — adjective

  • ordinarypositive
  • more ordinarycomparative
  • most ordinarysuperlative

1. like most others of the same kind, with nothing that makes it stand out

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

like most others of the same kind, with nothing that makes it stand out

Example

It was just an ordinary Monday, with rain and late buses.

ordinary before a day noun

Mina wore ordinary jeans and a gray T-shirt to the meeting.

ordinary before clothes nouns

Common collocations
  • ordinary people
  • ordinary life
  • ordinary clothes
  • ordinary readers
  • look ordinary
Synonyms
  • normal

    often stresses that something is not strange or wrong

  • usual

    more often points to what someone regularly does or chooses

  • common

    emphasizes that many people or things share it

  • plain

    can suggest a simple look, sometimes with a slightly negative tone

Antonyms
  • special

    suggests something marked out from others

  • unusual

    emphasizes that something is different from what is expected

  • remarkable

    suggests something worth noticing or remembering

Grammar Patterns

ordinary people

ordinary clothes

look ordinary

Usage Note

Often modifies everyday people or things such as clothes, homes, jobs, or meals. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes a person or thing as plain, not a situation as what normally happens.

Common Mistakes

I took the ordinary bus to work.
I took the usual bus to work.
ordinary means not special; usual means the one you normally use.

2. used to say that something is the normal result or pattern in a situation

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

used to say that something is the normal result or pattern in a situation

Example

At this age, a little fear of the dark is ordinary.

predicative use after be

Five minutes of waiting is ordinary at this busy station.

Common collocations
  • ordinary for children
  • ordinary here
  • ordinary in winter
  • ordinary during recovery
Synonyms
  • normal

    the closest everyday choice for what is expected

  • typical

    often points to a pattern that represents a group or situation well

  • expected

    focuses on what people think will probably happen

Antonyms
  • abnormal

    suggests something not matching the expected pattern

  • unexpected

    focuses on surprise rather than on being wrong or unhealthy

Grammar Patterns

be ordinary for children

be ordinary in winter

That is ordinary here

Usage Note

Mostly predicative, especially after be. Distinguish from sense 1: here ordinary comments on what typically happens in certain conditions, not on whether a thing looks plain or uninteresting.

Common Mistakes

An ordinary for babies is to wake at night.
It is ordinary for babies to wake at night.
this sense is usually used after 'be', not as a noun phrase.

3. noticeably different from what people normally expect

3.adjectiveC2
Definition

noticeably different from what people normally expect

Example

A police car outside the school was out of the ordinary.

fixed phrase: out of the ordinary

Nothing in the report seemed out of the ordinary at first.

nothing out of the ordinary

Common collocations
  • out of the ordinary
  • nothing out of the ordinary
  • look out of the ordinary
  • seem out of the ordinary
Synonyms
  • unusual

    the nearest single-word choice in neutral English

  • strange

    can sound stronger and more personal

  • exceptional

    often suggests something notably good or rare, not just different

Antonyms
  • ordinary

    plainly within normal expectation

  • routine

    stresses regular repetition and lack of surprise

Grammar Patterns

be out of the ordinary

seem out of the ordinary

nothing out of the ordinary

Usage Note

Only used in the phrase 'out of the ordinary'. It often follows verbs such as be, seem, look, or feel, and it suggests something unusual enough to make people pay attention.

Common Mistakes

The noise was out of ordinary.
The noise was out of the ordinary.
the phrase needs 'the'.
Idioms

in the ordinary way

idiom

This phrase describes what usually happens in a normal situation.

In the ordinary way, Maya takes the bus to work.

Would you have helped him in the ordinary way?

out of the ordinary

idiom

Something that is unusual or different from what is normal.

The chef's special dish was nothing out of the ordinary.

Did you notice anything out of the ordinary at the party?

ordinary — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective sense 1, ordinary says that something does not stand out. It is often neutral, but it can sometimes sound mildly disappointing if the speaker hoped for more. Usual is different: it often means the one that regularly happens or the one someone normally chooses, as in my usual seat. Normal focuses on what is not strange, wrong, or unhealthy. Common emphasizes frequency or wide distribution, not lack of interest. Plain often moves toward appearance and can suggest something simple or not decorative. So you can say It was an ordinary cafe with good bread, but I took my usual bus home. After the checkup, the doctor said the results were normal.

usual ↗normal ↗common ↗plain ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Ordinary came into English through Old French from Latin ordinarius. That Latin word meant belonging to regular order, and it was built from ordo, meaning order. The idea of something following the usual arrangement later gave English ordinary its main sense of being unremarkable or part of normal life.