instantly

English

Alternative forms

• enstantly (rare)
• instantlie (obsolete)
• instauntly (obsolete)

Etymology

From instant +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈɪnstəntli/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adverb

instantly (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Urgently; with insistence. [from 15th c.]
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.27:

     Theoxena although she were instantly urged thereunto, could never be induced to marry againe.

2. At once; without delay. [from 16th c.]
   • 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, Telegraph:

     The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott.

Translations

at once

• Albanian: menjëherë (sq)
• Czech: okamžitě (cs), ihned (cs)
• Finnish: välittömästi (fi), heti (fi), oikopäätä (fi), oitis (fi)
• German: unmittelbar (de)
• Indonesian: seketika (id)
• Khmer: ភ្លាម (km) (pliem)
• Polish: od razu (pl)

• Romanian: instant (ro)
• Russian: сразу (ru) (srazu)
• Scottish Gaelic: anns a' bhad (gd), sa bhad (gd), gu grad (gd)
• Spanish: al instante (es), al hilo (es), al tiro (es)
• Turkish: tezden (tr), hemen (tr), anında (tr), derhâl (tr)
• Ukrainian: зараз (uk) (záraz)