What does locally mean?
“Locally” means in a particular place or community, usually close to the people or situation involved. It is commonly used to describe where something is available, produced, owned, employed, or administered. For example, a shop may advertise “locally made” goods, while a medicine may be “applied locally” to a particular area rather than affecting the whole body. The word can also carry a broader contrast between decisions taken by a local community and those made by a distant or central authority. Although it often means physically nearby, its meaning is flexible: a service can be local to a neighbourhood, a policy can be local to a region, and an event can be organized locally. In these uses, “locally” emphasizes the place, community, or level at which an action takes place.
adverbIn or within a particular place or locality, especially near the speaker or the place being discussed. It can also mean in a local, community-based, or locally administered manner.
- In the area immediately surrounding the speaker, the listener, or the subject being discussed.
- Within a particular community or locality rather than in a broader or more distant setting.
"The ingredients are locally sourced, so they are fresher and support nearby farmers."
"The restaurant serves meals prepared by chefs from the surrounding region."
"The medicine can be administered locally when a general anaesthetic is unnecessary."
The word “locally” comes from Latin locus, meaning “place”: the same root that gave us local, location, and even the idea of a locomotive carrying something from one place to another.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does locally come from?
The word comes from the adjective “local,” which was borrowed from Latin localis, meaning “belonging to a place.” Latin localis itself developed from locus, a word meaning “place,” “position,” or “region.” Through the English formation “local” and the addition of the adverbial suffix “-ly,” “locally” came to mean “in a local place” or “within a locality.” Its related English forms include “locality,” “locate,” and “location,” all reflecting the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How locally is actually used
The adverb is common in general English and in administrative, medical, business, and political contexts. In political and civic discussion, it can contrast a community-based approach with a centralized or national one.