instantly

1 of 2

adverb

in·​stant·​ly ˈin(t)-stənt-lē 

1

: without the least delay : immediately

2

: with importunity : urgently

instantly

2 of 2

conjunction

: as soon as

… he ran across the grass instantly he perceived his mother …

—William Thackeray

Synonyms of instantly

Adverb

• immediately
• promptly
• now
• directly

Conjunction

• when
• immediately
• once

Examples of instantly in a Sentence

Adverb

His voice is instantly recognizable.

They instantly fell in love.

She was killed instantly when her car hit a tree.

Conjunction

we realized there would be problems instantly we saw the final report

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The 27-year-old pre-training researcher’s dramatic resignation has fired off a provocative warning on X that instantly sent ripples across the tech sector. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026

For a third-year player in a small and uber-competitive sport, Clark has been phenomenal, but this is not a league that anyone can instantly take over. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Across Washington, protective details moved instantly to secure leadership. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

Vector databases can help retrieve relevant information instantly. — Salman Shahid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from instant instant entry 2 + -ly -ly entry 2

Conjunction

derivative of instantly entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Conjunction

1793, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

instantly

adverb

in·​stant·​ly

ˈin(t)-stənt-lē

: without delay : immediately

came instantly when I called