immediately

[ ih-mee-dee-it-lee ]

adverb

1. without lapse of time; without delay; instantly; at once:

   Please telephone him immediately.

   Synonyms: forthwith

   Antonyms: later

2. with no object or space intervening.
3. closely:

   immediately in the vicinity.

4. without intervening medium or agent; concerning or affecting directly.

conjunction

1. Chiefly British. the moment that; as soon as.

immediately

/ ɪˈmiːdɪətlɪ /

adverb

1. without delay or intervention; at once; instantly

   it happened immediately

2. very closely or directly

   this immediately concerns you

3. near or close by

   he's somewhere immediately in this area

conjunction

1. subordinating at the same time as; as soon as

   immediately he opened the door, there was a gust of wind

Other Words From

• qua·si-im·me·di·ate·ly adverb
• un·im·me·di·ate·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of immediately¹

A late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; immediate, -ly

Synonym Study

Immediately, instantly, directly, presently were once close synonyms, all denoting complete absence of delay or any lapse of time. Immediately and instantly still almost always have that sense and usually mean at once: He got up immediately. She responded instantly to the request. Directly is usually equivalent to soon, in a little while rather than at once: You go ahead, we'll join you directly. Presently changes sense according to the tense of the verb with which it is used. With a present tense verb it usually means now, at the present time: The author presently lives in San Francisco. She is presently working on a new novel. In some contexts, especially those involving a contrast between the present and the near future, presently can mean soon or in a little while: She is at the office now but will be home presently.

Example Sentences

When Louis picks the offer of vampirism to pull himself out of his funk, he immediately regrets it.

From Salon

They tore into Matt Gaetz and RFK Jr. immediately in the cold open, lampooning Trump's cast of oddballs using some of their own.

From Salon

It was not immediately clear when the archbishop would leave his post but the process of finding a replacement is likely to take at least six months.

From BBC

She "immediately screamed" while also trying to help her colleague, who thought the man was "biting his finger off".

From BBC

Douglas came off the bench to a huge ovation, but Storti scored almost immediately.

From BBC

Related Words

• directly
• forthwith
• instantly
• promptly
• rapidly
• shortly
• soon
• urgently