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Otherwise vs Seldom - What's the difference?

otherwise | seldom |

As adverbs the difference between otherwise and seldom

is that otherwise is (lb) differently, in another way while seldom is infrequently, rarely.

As adjectives the difference between otherwise and seldom

is that otherwise is other than supposed; different while seldom is (obsolete) rare; infrequent.

otherwise

English

Alternative forms

* otherwize

Adverb

(-)
  • (lb) Differently, in another way.
  • :
  • *2011 , Phil McNulty, Euro 2012: Montenegro 2-2 England
  • *:Fabio Capello insisted Rooney was in the right frame of mind to play in stormy Podgorica despite his father's arrest on Thursday in a probe into alleged betting irregularities, but his flash of temper - when he kicked out at Miodrag Dzudovic - suggested otherwise .
  • (lb)  In different circumstances; or else.
  • :
  • *
  • *:They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April, author=
  • , volume=100, issue=2, page=171, magazine=(American Scientist) , title= Well-connected Brains , passage=Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered,
  • (lb) In all other respects.
  • :
  • *2013 , Phil McNulty, ''BBC Sport , 1 September:
  • *:Robin van Persie squandered United's best chance late on but otherwise it was a relatively comfortable afternoon for Liverpool's new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has yet to concede a Premier League goal since his £9m summer move from Sunderland.
  • Usage notes

    * "Otherwise" is often used to refer to the negative of something. The something may be a noun phrase, a verb phrase, an adjective phrase, or an adverb phrase, or a clause, or even something larger.

    Synonyms

    * (differently) contrarily, contrastingly * (in different circumstances) if not, else (See or else) * (in all other respects) apart from that

    Antonyms

    * likewise

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Other than supposed; different.
  • He said he didn’t do it, but the evidence was otherwise .

    seldom

    English

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • Infrequently, rarely.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.}}
  • *{{quote-news, year=2013, date=April 9, author=Andrei Lankov, title=Stay Cool. Call North Korea’s Bluff., work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=People who talk about an imminent possibility of war seldom pose this question: What would North Korea’s leadership get from unleashing a war that they are likely to lose in weeks, if not days?}}
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=71, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= End of the peer show , passage=Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.}}

    Usage notes

    It is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never. * Compare He seldom ever plays tennis.'' with ''He almost never plays tennis.

    Synonyms

    * barely * hardly * rarely * scarcely * infrequently

    Antonyms

    * often * frequently

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (obsolete) rare; infrequent
  • A suppressed and seldom anger. — Jeremy Taylor.