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

There is something intoxicating about the immediacy of showing a piece of ceramic work to a friend. —Literary Hub, 8 Dec. 2025

Preserving that immediacy in a recording requires both technical mastery and a commitment to human connection, an approach that lies at the heart of the Technics philosophy. —Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2025

The approach enabled Arkapaw to achieve a combination of period accuracy and visceral immediacy that was further enhanced by her careful selection of anamorphic lenses. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Nov. 2025

And there's an immediacy to it. —Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025

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