immediacy

noun

im·me·di·a·cy | \ i-ˈmē-dē-ə-sē

How to pronounce immediacy (audio)

, British often -ˈmē-jə-sē \

plural immediacies

Definition of immediacy

1 : the quality or state of being immediate

2 : something that is immediate —usually used in plural

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about immediacy

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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 Flirting with degrees of finish to convey greater immediacy was already a staple of modern portraiture (think Degas, Morisot and Sargent). — Washington Post, "Alice Neel was the greatest American portraitist of the 20th century. Her work continues to astonish.," 25 Mar. 2021 The three pressures moving the industry to the open banking model are relentless: consumer expectations of mobile ease and immediacy, big tech and fintech competition, and diverse, changing global regulations. — Vince Padua, Forbes, "Open Banking Is Now Essential Banking: A New Decade’s Global Pressures And Best Responses, Part Two," 4 Mar. 2021 Both instructors demonstrated the same level of interpersonal interaction in their attempts to create a sense of immediacy in the online classroom. — Maria Minor, Forbes, "Are Female Professors Held To A Different Standard Than Their Male Counterparts?," 19 Mar. 2021 One of four artists who performed an original song during the Grammy Salute, Bridges provided a successful example of approaching the topic of Black social movement through the moving immediacy of the record’s reference point. — Larisha Paul, Billboard, "Leon Bridges and Andra Day Provided Highlights on ‘A Grammy Salute to the Sounds of Change’," 18 Mar. 2021 The tension of the shoot (which took place during wartime, at high risk) and the immediacy of the drama elevated the entire cast to a sharp dramatic focus. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "Ingrid Bergman in “Stromboli” and the Power of Nonprofessional Actors," 6 Mar. 2021 Julia Iredale’s illustrations of artifacts (shown above), with museum-like captions, add to the immediacy of this protean story set 2,500 years ago. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Defenestrating Dr. Seuss," 5 Mar. 2021 The evolution of the genre, however, has benefited significantly from the use of drones, sophisticated video techniques and the immediacy of social media. — Bill Pennington, New York Times, "This 14-Year-Old Ski Daredevil Is Already a Pro, and Trying Not to Scare His Parents," 3 Jan. 2021 His consistent cleverness, rather than coming off glib, charges the work with immediacy and verve. — New York Times, "It's a Sin," 17 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immediacy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near immediacy

immediate constituent

immediate family

Statistics for immediacy

Last Updated

5 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Immediacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immediacy. Accessed 15 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for immediacy

immediacy

noun

English Language Learners Definition of immediacy

: the quality that makes something seem important or interesting because it is or seems to be happening now

See the full definition for immediacy in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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