ordinary
gb/ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi/ us/ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi/
A2
English
~ 1500
hétköznapi, szokványos, átlagos, közepes, ordinárium, ordinárius
A2
1
Usage pattern:
an ordinary [object/person/day]
She wore an ordinary dress to the party.
Egy hétköznapi ruhát vett fel a partira.
It was just an ordinary Monday morning.
Csak egy átlagos hétfő reggel volt.
The restaurant serves ordinary food, nothing fancy.
He lives an ordinary life in the suburbs.
This phone looks ordinary but works very well.
Learner examples
I had an ordinary day at school.
Átlagos napom volt az iskolában.
He is an ordinary man.
Hétköznapi ember.
This is an ordinary pen.
We saw many ordinary houses on the street.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'ordinary' with 'usual'. 'Usual' refers to what regularly happens, while 'ordinary' describes something not special.
Meaning
Not special or unusual
Collocations
ordinary people
|ordinary day
|ordinary life
|ordinary clothes
Synonyms
normal (Very close in meaning, but 'normal' emphasizes conformity to a standard, while 'ordinary' stresses lack of specialness.)
|
common ('Common' can suggest frequency or wide occurrence, while 'ordinary' focuses on lack of distinction.)
Antonyms
extraordinary (Direct opposite; means very unusual or remarkable.)
|
special (Implies having unique or important qualities, unlike 'ordinary'.)
Themes
daily life
|descriptions
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Not special in any way; normal and usual.
Having no special or distinctive features; normal and commonplace.
B1
2
Usage pattern:
an ordinary [performance/result/meal]
The team's play was ordinary compared to last week.
A csapat játéka közepes volt a múlt hetihez képest.
Her cooking is ordinary but filling.
A főztje átlagos, de laktató.
The film was ordinary and forgettable.
His grades were ordinary this semester.
The hotel room was clean but rather ordinary.
Learner examples
The food was ordinary.
Az étel közepes volt.
His work is ordinary.
A munkája átlagos.
It was an ordinary game.
Meaning
Average in quality or ability
Collocations
ordinary performance
|ordinary results
|ordinary quality
Synonyms
mediocre ('Mediocre' often has a more negative tone, while 'ordinary' can be neutral.)
Antonyms
excellent (Strongly positive quality, opposite of average.)
Themes
evaluations
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Not very good but not very bad; just average.
Of average quality; not particularly good or bad.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
3
ordinárium
C2
The choir sang the Ordinary during the service.
A kórus a szertartás során az ordináriumot énekelte.
He studied the history of the Ordinary in medieval music.
Az ordinárium történetét tanulmányozta a középkori zenében.
The Ordinary contrasts with the Proper, which changes daily.
Learner examples
They learned about the Ordinary in church.
A templomban az ordináriumról tanultak.
The Ordinary is always the same words.
Az ordinárium szövege mindig ugyanaz.
The priest said the Ordinary.
Meaning
Regular worship service part
Collocations
the Ordinary of the Mass
Synonyms
fixed liturgy (A more descriptive phrase for the same concept.)
Themes
religion
Definition
In Christian churches, the parts of the service that are always the same.
The part of the Christian liturgy that remains the same from day to day, especially in the Roman Catholic Mass.
NOUN
C2
FORMAL
4
ordinárius
C2
The bishop is the ordinary of the diocese.
A püspök az egyházmegye ordináriusa.
The case was heard by the military ordinary.
Az ügyet a katonai ordinárius tárgyalta.
An ordinary has specific powers under canon law.
Learner examples
The bishop is an ordinary.
A püspök ordinárius.
The court spoke to the ordinary.
A bíróság beszélt az ordináriussal.
An ordinary has power in the church.
Meaning
Official person in authority
Collocations
military ordinary
|diocesan ordinary
Synonyms
official ('Official' is more general; 'ordinary' is specific to certain institutions.)
Themes
religion
|law
Definition
An official person with special authority in a church or law court.
A person who has authority by virtue of office, especially in church or law contexts.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ordinary
IPA
GB/ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi/
US/ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi/
Syllables & stress
or - din - ary (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (or)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: ordinary
Word family
Core family
ordinarily
adverb B2
Negative and opposite forms
extraordinary
adjective B1
extraordinarily
adverb B2
Advanced or less common
ordinariness
noun
Expressions
in the ordinary course of events
1/ˈɪn ðə ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi kˈɔɹs əv ɪvˈɛnts/
fixed phrase
formal
As things normally happen
In the normal way that things usually happen.
Examples
- In the ordinary course of events, we would meet once a month.
- Such problems don't arise in the ordinary course of events.
out of the ordinary
1/ˈaʊt əv ðə ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi/
fixed phrase
Unusual or unexpected
Different from what is usual or normal.
Examples
- Her sudden arrival was out of the ordinary.
- There's nothing out of the ordinary about his behavior.
nothing out of the ordinary
1/nˈʌθɪŋ ˈaʊt əv ðə ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi/
fixed phrase
No difference from usual
Used to say that everything is normal.
Examples
- I looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
- The day went by with nothing out of the ordinary happening.
nothing out of the ordinary
2/nˈʌθɪŋ ˈaʊt əv ðə ˈɔɹdɪnˌɛɹi/
fixed phrase
Completely usual or normal situation
Nothing different from what is normal or expected.
Examples
- We checked the house but found nothing out of the ordinary.
- His report contained nothing out of the ordinary.