Alternatively

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ɒlˈtɜː(ɹ).nə.tɪv.li/

Definitions

1. In a different way or as another option instead of what was previously mentioned
2. In a contrasting manner or as an alternative choice to what has been stated before
3. As another possibility or in a different approach compared to previously considered options

Etymology: The adverb "alternatively" is simply "alternative" plus the suffix "-ly", and that suffix has a long pedigree of its own. It descends from an Old English word for "body" or "form" ("līk", as in "like") that gradually lost its literal sense and became a marker that turns adjectives into adverbs, so "alternatively" is in effect "in an alternative manner." The adjective behind it comes from Latin "alternus," meaning "every other" or "by turns," built from "alter," "the other (of two)." That Latin root also gave English "alter" and "alteration," so the idea of one thing swapping with another runs through the family. "Alternative" passed into English through Middle French "alternatif," with the Latin "-ivus" ending making it a word for something that offers a choice between two possibilities.

Synonyms: instead, on the other hand