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 New York cello-saxophone duo trades the strictures of classical music for more exploratory tones and textures, fusing the expansiveness of film scores with the immediacy of pop. —Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 11 June 2026

Today, consumers demand immediacy. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 11 June 2026

The immediacy of the night skies, the absolute terror of contact, the madness and the obsessiveness. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 June 2026

None of his previous attempts at candor have garnered the same public response as the intimacy – and immediacy – of his online posts. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 6 June 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