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 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

Björck’s dominance was not as extreme, but his goal and three assists were the product of a player with a higher ceiling and a greater degree of NHL immediacy than any Jets prospect in recent memory. — Murat Ates, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

His earlier films offer the immediacy of real-time creation, of something not unfinished but unreworked, thrust onto the screen with an impulsiveness that’s balanced by the careful conception behind it. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2026

The immediacy of social media lured millions away from celebrity blogs, and Hilton’s profile, like so many of his peers, took a hit. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

But winning with immediacy and urgency is much easier said than done. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 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