instantly
English
Alternative forms
- enstantly (rare)
- instantlie (obsolete)
- instauntly (obsolete)
Etymology
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 331: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈɪnstəntli/
Audio (US): (file)
Adverb
instantly (not comparable)
- At once; without delay. [from 16th c.]
- When the neighbours' dog barked, ours instantly replied with a howl.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
- Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.
- 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in 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.
- (archaic) Urgently; with insistence. [from 15th c.]
- (obsolete) At the same time.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
Synonyms
- (at once; without delay): immediately, instantaneously
Translations
at once
|
Categories:
- English terms suffixed with -ly
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English adverbs
- English uncomparable adverbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with archaic senses
- English terms with obsolete senses
- Requests for quotations/Shakespeare
- en:Time