instantaneous

adjective in·stan·ta·neous \ ˌin(t)-stən-ˈtā-nē-əs , -nyəs \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of instantaneous

1 : done, occurring, or acting without any perceptible duration of time

death was instantaneous

2 : done without any delay being purposely introduced

took instantaneous corrective action

3 : occurring or present at a particular instant

instantaneous velocity

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instantaneity

play \ˌin-ˌstan-tə-ˈnē-ə-tē, ˌin(t)-stən-tə-ˈnē-\ noun

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instantaneously

play \ˌin(t)-stən-ˈtā-nē-əs-lē, -nyəs-lē\ adverb

—

instantaneousness

noun

See instantaneous defined for English-language learners

See instantaneous defined for kids

Examples of instantaneous in a Sentence

We got an almost instantaneous response from the company.
the thunder following the flash of lightning was nearly instantaneous

Recent Examples of instantaneous from the Web

The autopsy concluded that Clark's death was not instantaneous, taking an estimated three to 10 minutes, raising questions about why Clark was not given more immediate medical care after the shooting.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Stephon Clark was shot 8 times from behind or side, family-ordered autopsy says," 30 Mar. 2018
Iridium-5 After engineers with Iridium solved an issue with the payload of communications satellites, SpaceX set a launch date of March 30, with an instantaneous launch window of 10:13am ET.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "SpaceX has a busy weekend ahead of it," 29 Mar. 2018
The flight has an instantaneous launch window, so the rocket has to lift off at that time or wait until tomorrow.

— loren grush, The Verge, "Watch SpaceX launch its second used Falcon 9 rocket for NASA this afternoon," 2 Apr. 2018
Key to her philosophy is instantaneous response, coupled with an intensity that comes from prosecuting crimes.

— Bloomberg.com, "Restaurants Know About Harassment. Here’s How They Avoid Lawsuits," 19 Dec. 2017
The power is instantaneous, with no appreciable turbo lag, delivered to the rear wheels through a tight, seven-speed paddle-shift transmission.

— charles fleming, latimes.com, "Ford GT: American supercar splendor for only $450,000," 16 Mar. 2018
Enthusiasts say the Lightning Network will solve these problems with fees at a fraction of a cent and instantaneous transactions.

— Fortune, "Technology Meant to Make Bitcoin Money Again Just Went Live," 15 Mar. 2018
Energy was everywhere in abundance, but throughout the orchestra, concentration was uniform, communication between conductor and ensemble was subtle — and instantaneous.

— marcus overton, sandiegouniontribune.com, "A master at work: Edo de Waart makes Mahlerian magic with San Diego Symphony," 10 Mar. 2018
Power is certainly adequate, but the delivery feels a bit lazy and uninspired compared to the instantaneous torque everywhere that’s available from the AMG variant.

— davey g. johnson, Car and Driver, "2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS-class / CLS53 AMG," 9 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of instantaneous

Medieval Latin instantaneus, from instant-, instans, noun

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First Known Use: 1651

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

instantaneous Synonyms

INSTANTANEOUS Defined for English Language Learners

instantaneous

adjective

Definition of instantaneous for English Language Learners

: happening very quickly : happening in an instant

INSTANTANEOUS Defined for Kids

instantaneous

adjective in·stan·ta·neous \ ˌin-stən-ˈtā-nē-əs \

Definition of instantaneous for Students

: happening or done very quickly : happening in an instant

an instantaneous reply

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instantaneously

adverb

Learn More about instantaneous

See words that rhyme with instantaneous Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for instantaneous Spanish Central: Translation of instantaneous Nglish: Translation of instantaneous for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of instantaneous for Arabic speakers

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instantaneous

Definition of instantaneous

instantaneity

instantaneously

instantaneousness

Examples of instantaneous in a Sentence

Recent Examples of instantaneous from the Web

Origin and Etymology of instantaneous

instantaneous Synonyms

Synonyms

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INSTANTANEOUS Defined for English Language Learners

instantaneous

Definition of instantaneous for English Language Learners

INSTANTANEOUS Defined for Kids

instantaneous

Definition of instantaneous for Students

instantaneously

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