Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - otherwise

~ adv 1 sentence adverb a word meaning `if not', often used when there will be a bad result if something does not happen  (You'll have to go now, otherwise you'll miss your bus. | They got two free tickets to Canada, otherwise they'd never have been able to afford to go. | A surveyor's inspection of the building revealed faults that might otherwise have been overlooked. (=if there had not been an inspection)) 2 say/think/decide etc otherwise to say, think etc something different from what has been mentioned  (The government claims that the economy is improving, but this survey suggests otherwise.) 3 sentence adverb except for what has just been mentioned  (I could hear the distant rumbling of traffic. Otherwise all was still. | He was tired but otherwise in good health.) + adj/adv  (a few mistakes in an otherwise excellent piece of work) 4 or otherwise especially BrE or not  (We welcome any comments from viewers, favourable or otherwise.) 5 otherwise engaged formal busy doing something else  (I was unable to attend the conference because I was otherwise engaged.) 6 otherwise known as also called  (Albert DeSalvo, otherwise known as the Boston strangler) 7 it cannot be otherwise/how can it be otherwise? used to mean that it is impossible for something to be different from the way it is  (Life in the military is hard - how can it be otherwise?)