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

Ultimately, what this study’s findings highlight is that planning for a slow-moving, politically contentious issue like sea-level rise, one that doesn’t have the immediacy of a wildfire or an earthquake, is complex and constantly evolving. —Marcos Magaña, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026

This immediacy also strengthens the potency all the thematic threads Luigi explores. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026

With singers upfront and full orchestra onstage, the performance can have a sonic immediacy dramatically different from opera house perspectives. —Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026

Sometimes, though, this immediacy leads to songwriting that’s literal-minded to the point of banality. —Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 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