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

With a frequency response of 10Hz–40kHz, Iris is designed to deliver extended low and high frequency performance while keeping a natural coherence, immediacy and musicality from a single dynamic driver. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

There are moments of immediacy where Madonna most flourishes. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 3 July 2026

That’s to say nothing of the stage, which offers a raw immediacy that books and films lack. — Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Then came television, which added a powerful visual dimension, bringing national moments into living rooms across the country with an immediacy that print and radio never could. — Paul Buccieri, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026

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