directly

1 of 2

adverb

di·​rect·​ly də-ˈrek(t)-lē 

dī-,

 in sense 2 especially  də-ˈrek-lē,

 or  ˈdrek-lē

1

a

: in a direct manner

directly relevant

the road runs directly east and west

b

: in immediate physical contact

c

: in the manner of direct variation

2

a

: without delay : immediately

the second game followed directly after the first

b

: in a little while : shortly

we'll be leaving directly

directly

2 of 2

conjunction

di·​rect·​ly də-ˈrek(t)-lē 

dī-;

ˈdrek-lē

chiefly British

: immediately after : as soon as

directly I received it I rang up the shipping company

—F. W. Crofts

Synonyms

Adverb

• dead
• direct
• due
• plumb
• plump
• right
• straight
• straightway

Examples of directly in a Sentence

Adverb

He refused to answer the question directly.

She said that she wanted to speak to you directly.

The package will be sent directly to your home.

The two accidents are directly related.

Thousands of people were directly affected by the disaster.

Antonyms are words that are directly opposite in meaning.

We parked directly behind the store.

He sat directly across from me at the dinner table.

Conjunction

I came directly I received your message.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

At first, the project was a way of sharing ideas about the Order’s attention work without writing about it directly. —Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024

Soon after Navalny’s death, U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin was ultimately responsible but did not accuse the Russian president of directly ordering it. —Aamer Madhani, Fortune Europe, 29 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Conjunction

1795, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing directly

• directly proportional

Kids Definition

directly

adverb

di·​rect·​ly

də-ˈrek-(t)lē,

dī-,

 in sense 2 also  ˈdrek-lē

1

a

: in a direct manner

she spoke directly

b

: most closely located

the person directly to my left

2

: without delay : immediately

go directly home

3

: in the manner of direct variation

the perimeter of a square varies directly with the length of a side