English Reference
adverb

routinely

adv.
US /ɹuˈtinɫi/ UK /ɹuːtˈiːnli/ rou·tine·ly

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    happening often or as a standard part of a job or life.

    occurring as a matter of regular procedure or established custom.

    Simple

    The hospital routinely tests all new patients for the virus.

    In context

    The software routinely backs up all user data to a secure cloud server every hour to prevent accidental loss.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Formal

    doing something just because it is a habit, sometimes without thinking about it.

    performed in a mechanical or perfunctory manner, often as a result of repetition.

    Simple

    He routinely checked his phone for messages every few minutes.

    In context

    The clerk routinely stamped the documents without actually reading the information they contained.

    Usage

    Often carries a slightly negative connotation of being bored or unthinking.

Government officials say they routinely plan for all possible scenarios.

BBC News· 12 Aug 2026

Researchers showed that unencrypted signals routinely exchanged between WiFi devices and routers can be used to create radio-based images of people and recognize them within seconds.

ScienceDaily· 12 Aug 2026

From routine + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated