alternative
n. countablen. one of two or more things that you can choose between. If you do not like the first plan, you look for an alternative.
n. one of two or more available possibilities or courses of action. Often implies a choice between mutually exclusive options.
We decided to take the bus as an alternative to driving.
The menu offers a vegetarian alternative for every meat dish listed.
The committee explored several technological alternatives before committing to the current software, ensuring that the final choice balanced cost-effectiveness with user accessibility.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos Proto-Italic *aljos Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Italic *-teros Proto-Italic *aliteros Latin alter Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Latin -nus Latin alternus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin alternō Latin alternātus Proto-Indo-European *-wósder. Latin -īvus Latin alternātīvusder. Middle French alternatifbor. English alternative From Middle French alternatif, from Medieval Latin alternātīvus (“alternating”), from the participle stem of Latin alternō (“interchange, alternate”). Compare alternate.
Frequently used with the preposition 'to'. When used with 'of', it typically precedes the options being considered.
I have no other alternative but to leave.I have no alternative but to leave.Using 'other' with 'alternative' is redundant because the word 'alternative' already implies another choice.