immediacy

noun

im·​me·​di·​a·​cy i-ˈmē-dē-ə-sē How to pronounce immediacy (audio)
British often -ˈmē-jə-sē
plural immediacies
Synonyms of immediacynext
1
: the quality or state of being immediate
the immediacy of a live performance
2
: something that is immediate
the immediacy of our need
—usually used in plural
the basic immediacies of life

Synonyms of immediacy

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Examples of immediacy in a Sentence

Television coverage gave the war greater immediacy than it had ever before had. There is an immediacy to watching a live performance that you cannot get from hearing a recording.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the story of China is rarely about immediacy and swiftness. — Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 28 June 2026 At times, this sparseness creates a barrier to emotional immediacy, keeping viewers at a certain distance. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 26 June 2026 At-home devices are designed to be lower in intensity than in-office treatments, which makes consistency more important than immediacy. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 30 June 2026 The New York cello-saxophone duo trades the strictures of classical music for more exploratory tones and textures, fusing the expansiveness of film scores with the immediacy of pop. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for immediacy

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of immediacy was in 1605

Browse Nearby Words

immed
immediacy
immediate
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Cite this Entry

“Immediacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immediacy. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

immediacy

noun
im·​me·​di·​a·​cy im-ˈēd-ē-ə-sē How to pronounce immediacy (audio)
plural immediacies
1
: the quality or state of being immediate
2
: something that is of immediate importance
immediacies of daily life

More from Merriam-Webster on immediacy

Nglish: Translation of immediacy for Spanish Speakers

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