usual
[adjective]
Synonyms: normal, common, customary, everyday, general, habitual, ordinary, regular, routine, standard, typical

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Antonyms: unusual
Contrasted words: exceptional, rare, unaccustomed, remarkable, strange, unexpected
Related Idioms: that make up one's daily round
Related Words: natural, normal, regular, typical, common, familiar, ordinary, current, prevailing, prevalent, rife

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

u‧su‧al S2 W2 /ˈjuːʒuəl, ˈjuːʒəl/ adjective
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Late Latin; Origin: usualis, from Latin usus; ⇒ use¹]

1. happening, done, or existing most of the time or in most situations:
Make a cheese sauce in the usual way.
I’ll meet you at the usual time.
longer/higher/worse etc than usual
It is taking longer than usual for orders to reach our customers.
She ate twice as much as usual.
it is usual (for somebody) to do something
It’s usual to keep records of all expenses.

2. as usual in the way that happens or exists most of the time:
As usual, they’d left the children at home with Susan.
They didn’t invite any women, as usual.

3. as per usual spoken used to say that something bad that often happens has just happened again:
He just laughed at me, as per usual.

4. the usual spoken
a) used for talking about something that usually happens, is usually done etc:
‘What was he going on about this time?’ ‘Oh, the usual.’
b) the drink that you usually have, especially in a particular bar:
A pint of the usual please, Paul.

5. not your usual self behaving differently from the way you usually behave, especially by seeming worried or upset about something:
Keith doesn’t seem his usual self these days.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

usual
adj.
VERBS be | become
ADV. very | quite Don't worry?it's quite usual to have a few problems at first.
fairly | far from This kind of behaviour is far from usual in children of this age.
PREP. for It's usual for the man to propose marriage.
PHRASES as per usual (informal) Everyone blamed me as per usual.
as usual (= in the same way as what happens most of the time or in most cases) Steve, as usual, was the last to arrive.
business as usual (= things will continue as normal in spite of a difficult situation) It's business as usual at the factory, even while investigators sift through the bomb wreckage.
in the usual way The metal can then be painted in the usual way.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

usual
adjective
1.
BAD: In Finland it's usual that women go out to work.
GOOD: In Finland it's usual for women to go out to work.

Usage Note:
it's usual/unusual (for sb ) to do sth (NOT that ): 'Is it usual for him to be so late?' 'It's very unusual to see these flowers at this time of the year.'

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2.
BAD: I thought it was just a usual parcel but then it began to move across the table.
GOOD: I thought it was just an ordinary parcel but then it began to move across the table.

Usage Note:
usual = that is usually used, seen, done etc: 'She was sitting in her usual chair by the fire.' 'We arranged to meet at the usual time.' 'He was speaking in his usual calm tone.'
ordinary = without any special features or qualities: 'It was just an ordinary house in an ordinary street.' 'From the moment I met her, I knew she was no ordinary kind of girl.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲