immediacy

noun

im·​me·​di·​a·​cy i-ˈmē-dē-ə-sē 

British often -ˈmē-jə-sē

plural immediacies

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

• proximity

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

The sense of immediacy was further aided by the production’s choice to shoot everything on location, which gave Veloso the opportunity to respond to natural light in the moment. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 Nov. 2025

According to the duo, the iPhone has been a game changer because of its immediacy, married to high photographic quality. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 13 Nov. 2025

The numbers don’t do justice to the way the four power sources play together, however, delivering a seamless rush of force as the electric motors perfectly fill in the gaps in the engine’s power band, combining the immediacy of an EV with the emotionality of a high-revving V12. —Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 6 Nov. 2025

Hiroshige’s dramatic composition contrasting nature and civilization creates a sense of movement and immediacy, and sends a shiver down the viewer’s spine—a feeling that García Sánchez also tried to capture. —Françoise Mouly, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

immediacy

noun

im·​me·​di·​a·​cy im-ˈēd-ē-ə-sē 

plural immediacies

1

: the quality or state of being immediate

2

: something that is of immediate importance

immediacies of daily life