The difference between Ordinary and Usual

When used as adjectives, ordinary means having regular jurisdiction, whereas usual means most commonly occurring.


Ordinary is also noun with the meaning: a devotional manual.

check bellow for the other definitions of Ordinary and Usual

  1. Ordinary as an adjective (legal, of a judge):

    Having regular jurisdiction; now only used in certain phrases.

  2. Ordinary as an adjective:

    Being part of the natural order of things; normal, customary, routine.

    Examples:

    "On an ordinary day I wake up at nine o'clock, work for six hours, and then go to the gym."

  3. Ordinary as an adjective:

    Having no special characteristics or function; everyday, common, mundane; often deprecatory.

    Examples:

    "I live a very ordinary life most of the time, but every year I spend a week in Antarctica."

    "He looked so ordinary, I never thought he'd be capable of murder."

  4. Ordinary as an adjective (Australia, New Zealand, colloquial, informal):

    Bad or undesirable.

  1. Ordinary as a noun (obsolete):

    A devotional manual.

  2. Ordinary as a noun (Christianity):

    A rule, or book of rules, prescribing the order of service, especially of Mass.

  3. Ordinary as a noun:

    A person having immediate jurisdiction in a given case of ecclesiastical law, such as the bishop within a diocese.

  4. Ordinary as a noun (obsolete):

    A set portion of food, later as available for a fixed price at an inn or other eating establishment.

  5. Ordinary as a noun (archaic, _, or, _, historical):

    A place where such meals are served; a public tavern, inn.

  6. Ordinary as a noun (heraldry):

    One of the standard geometric designs placed across the center of a coat of arms, such as a pale or fess.

  7. Ordinary as a noun:

    An ordinary thing or person; the mass; the common run.

  8. Ordinary as a noun (historical):

    A penny-farthing bicycle.

  1. Usual as an adjective:

    Most commonly occurring; typical.

    Examples:

    "The preference of a boy to a girl is a usual occurrence in some parts of China."

    "It is becoming more usual these days to rear children as bilingual."