How to Use alternative in a Sentence

alternative

1 of 2 adjective
Definition of alternativenext
Synonyms for alternativenext
  • He developed an alternative design for the new engine.
  • Scientists are developing an alternative approach to treating the disease.
  • Those brand new to the XFL should note a few of the league’s new, alternative rules.
    — Esten McLaren, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, 8 Feb. 2020
  • The nation had to find an alternative way to process the tragedy.
    — Zainab Salbi, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2019
  • Sirius is to come up with alternative plans by the end of the month.
    — The Economist, 17 Oct. 2019
  • But for now, alternative stores might be the best source for your tech gear.
    — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, 23 Mar. 2020
  • Do alternative milks, like oat milk and almond milk, spoil out of the fridge?
    — Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 12 Feb. 2024
  • So the Royals looked for an alternative way to net value from the two-year deal.
    — Rustin Dodd, kansascity, 3 Nov. 2017
  • Their advice is to use alternative routes or to not drive into the city.
    — Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2022
  • Now, is this sort of like the alternative fact approach to what happened?
    — SI.com, 1 June 2018
  • Instead, a list of alternative names was compiled, and the WHO will choose names from that list if the need arises.
    — Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 22 June 2023
  • Kellyanne Conway talked about alternative facts at one point, so the phrase comes from her.
    — Sean Illing, Vox, 5 Feb. 2019
  • The mayor was in touch with the track coach and had a staff member chase down a lead on an alternative space for handball.
    — E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
  • Motorists were advised to avoid the area and take alternative routes.
    — Mike Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 Nov. 2019
  • In the two front rows, a group of 14 students from a Fairview alternative high school sat with their chaperones.
    — oregonlive, 9 June 2023
  • But once the threat passed and prices from China dropped, alternative sources lost their appeal.
    — Willy Shih, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2021
  • Four years ago, Americans had yet to hear the phrase alternative facts.
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2020
  • If the deal falls apart, Trump’s startup would need to look for alternative sources of financing.
    — Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 June 2022
  • This year, both prizes were taken by buzz band the Last Dinner Party, the first time an alternative band has done the double.
    — Mark Sutherland, Variety, 1 Feb. 2024
  • Bela is one of many bakers drawn to the health benefits of alternative flours like buckwheat, spelt, and rye.
    — Aliza Abarbanel, Bon Appetit, 5 Oct. 2017
  • Through the centuries and across cultures, those who longed to go on a sacred journey would find alternative ways to do so.
    — Kathryn Barush, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2020
  • Drivers were encouraged to stay away from the area and seek alternative routes.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2022
  • This is the heyday in the mid-Nineties — this is riot grrrl but also alternative hip-hop.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2023
  • Travelers should avoid the area, and use an alternative route.
    — oregonlive, 29 July 2021
  • Now, she’s been forced to find alternative routes around the common areas of the office to avoid bumping into him.
    — Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2023
  • An alternative approach: On the bread, spread mayonnaise, which is made with oil and eggs, and allows for more even grilling, Hall said.
    — Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
  • But for those who’d prefer to keep it cute at all times, there are alternative sweaters, sweatshirts, and tees that trump an ugly sweater any day.
    — Shalwah Evans, Essence, 20 Dec. 2019
  • Find alternative ways to reach your goals while the moon aligns with innovative Uranus.
    — USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024
  • An alternative, old-school method is to use a straight-flute extractor.
    — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 28 Nov. 2022
  • There’s no room for alternative facts about the weather forecast.
    — Ben Santer, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2019
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alternative

2 of 2 noun
  • We decided to leave since our only other alternative was to wait in the rain.
  • I was offered no alternative.
  • The menu offered several vegetarian alternatives.
  • The alternative is a world that none of us wants to live in.
    — Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
  • But over the long term, the alternative could very well be worse.
    — J.c. Pan, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2020
  • But a better alternative might be for the cops to break it up and tell the men to move on.
    — William McGurn, WSJ, 29 Dec. 2018
  • The rich mocha brown is a nice alternative to the usual black.
    — Georgia Trodd, Glamour, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Even if your Dad can't find the right size wrench for the job, this will serve as a handy alternative.
    — Mark Stock, Men's Health, 3 Dec. 2022
  • But what's the alternative for a single person in the year of 2023?
    — Naydeline Mejia, Women's Health, 9 Aug. 2023
  • Maybe, but the timidity of so much of the rest of the evening offered a weak alternative.
    — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 4 Oct. 2020
  • The alternative – by road – can take more than twice as long.
    — Sara Burnett, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2018
  • For a brief time, there emerged on the horizon the glimmers of a bloodless alternative to the War on Drugs.
    — Patrick Winn, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
  • And 60 percent of the people don't want the alternative.
    — ABC News, 16 July 2023
  • Turn back the clock on your skin with the serum that is an organic alternative to botox.
    — Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 25 Jan. 2021
  • Even the charge that the games are too short ignores that the alternative is to use even shorter lesson plans.
    — WSJ, 1 Apr. 2022
  • The machine has been going for so long, what is the alternative?
    — Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, 15 Apr. 2022
  • Regardless, nice to have a low-key alternative to the biggest movie in the world.
    — Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 25 May 2021
  • That places Julius in a good spot to sell itself as an alternative.
    — Ben Dummett, WSJ, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Round Rock had chosen a one-game series over the alternative of a best-of-three.
    — Stephen Whitaker, San Antonio Express-News, 12 May 2023
  • That’s made from some 500 sheets of Reishi, a leather alternative sourced from mycelium, aka the root of mushrooms.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2023
  • Grabbitz gives it his alternative best, singing through the tight throat of a lover in pain.
    — Kat Bein, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2019
  • This is a good alternative to tossing out soy milk that would go to waste.
    — Sheena Chihak, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Oct. 2022
  • These are used more as an alternative to acids, for home use.
    — Patrice Grell Yursik, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Jan. 2022
  • Very few labs still use felines, and the search is on for a better alternative.
    — Bycatherine Offord, science.org, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Aren’t some of them better than the painful alternatives?
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2020
  • Brave is one alternative to Chrome built on the same engine.
    — Chris Smith, BGR, 22 Dec. 2021
  • This is good news, or at least better than the alternative.
    — Makena Kelly, The Verge, 23 June 2023
  • Try to keep your calm in the face of adversity and watch how much better and brighter the alternative is for you.
    — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2023
  • No adult who had a viable alternative would choose to live at home.
    — Sarah Todd, Quartz, 19 Aug. 2020
  • It's made with alternative down and suede fabric that's extra cushioned and soft to the touch.
    — Carly Kulzer, PEOPLE.com, 25 July 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alternative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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