Ordinarily means in the usual or normal way, under regular circumstances. If your family ordinarily eats dinner at 6:00, that's when you typically sit down to eat on most nights. If you ordinarily walk to school, that's your regular routine unless something unusual happens.

The word helps us talk about what's normal or expected. A teacher might say, “Ordinarily, I don't accept late work, but since you were sick, I'll make an exception.” This tells you that the usual rule is being bent for special circumstances. Or a zoo might post that it's “ordinarily open on Mondays” to let visitors know that Monday closures are unusual.

Ordinarily suggests predictable patterns. If someone says, “This is not what ordinarily happens,” they're emphasizing that today is different from the norm.