instantaneously

adverb

as in immediately
without delay I had just slammed the car door shut when I instantaneously remembered that I had left the keys inside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of instantaneously Every Lichtenstein looks instantaneously like a Lichtenstein. — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 Pyrad works by instantaneously thickening when exposed to fire, forming a char that diminishes heat exposure, extinguishes flames, and decreases the risk of third-degree burns. — Derek Rose, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 In-play stats are updated quickly, and the real-time score tracking gives users of theScore Bet a chance to wager on live games instantaneously. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The victim’s money is converted to cryptocurrency and instantaneously transferred across the globe. — Mike Ryan, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026 Moreover, much of the footage on September 11 was digital, and therefore easier to compress electronically to share instantaneously. — David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026 Neurons don’t respond instantaneously to incoming signals; their responses can depend on input received over the previous few hundred milliseconds. — Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2026 More phones popped out to document this monumental scene when the chorus dropped and Engelbert instantaneously turned into an auntie. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Also, if the switch from side by side to one-front/one-back happened instantaneously, your brain would get confused about how to interpret the images delivered from each eye, since the setup would be quite different from what you were used to. — Abigail Witmer, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instantaneously
  1. immediately
  2. instantly
  3. promptly
  4. now
  5. directly
Adverb
  • Federal policy now allows businesses to deduct domestic research costs immediately, leaving more capital available for engineers, prototypes, and equipment.
    — Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • There was little in the way of heavy equipment immediately available.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of immediately
Adverb
  • The Chicago Bears got their quarterback back last week, and the offense instantly improved.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Phony pilot filmed way back in December 2024, before the third season of White Lotus landed and minted Nivola an instantly recognizable face to many TV viewers and the writers room didn’t gear up until fall 2025.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of instantly
Adverb
  • Seek care promptly for vaginal bleeding after menopause, unexplained sores or persistent pelvic pain, since those symptoms require evaluation rather than an assumption that GSM is responsible.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 27 Oct. 2026
  • With this decision, one of the last important barriers to gerrymandering fell, and many state governments promptly set off on a spree of biased mapmaking, hoping to stack the deck before the big card game this November.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of promptly
Adverb
  • Their loss has become the Chiefs’ gain, as Walker, for now, looks like a possible MVP candidate in Kansas City.
    — Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
  • For now, the trial provides compelling evidence that a cancer’s individuality can become a therapeutic opportunity.
    — Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of now
Adverb
  • He was stretchered off, his body immobilized against a backboard, and he was taken directly to Grady Memorial Hospital.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The new technology instead places the diamond directly inside a laser cavity.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of directly

Browse Nearby Words

instantaneous
instantaneously
instanter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instantaneously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instantaneously. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All