promptly

adverb

prompt·​ly ˈpräm(p)t-lē 

ˈpräm-plē

1

: in a prompt manner : without delay : very quickly or immediately

I'm going to speak French again, something I learned in school and promptly forgot.

—Deanna Pai

Treatment is promptly resumed until the virus is suppressed again, and then stopped to see if the patient's immune system is able to keep the viral levels in check.

—Joan Stephenson

2

: exactly at a particular time or the correct time

She arrived promptly at 7:00 p.m. as we had agreed.

Synonyms

• bang
• directly
• forthwith
• headlong
• immediately
• incontinently
• instantaneously
• instanter
• instantly
• now
• PDQ
• plumb
• presently
• pronto
• right
• right away
• right now
• right off
• straight off
• straightaway
• straightway

Examples of promptly in a Sentence

shipped the package promptly so that it would arrive on time

Recent Examples on the Web

Don’t forget to take advantage of the signature St. Regis butler service, which will promptly fulfill requests for packing needs, garment pressing, restaurant reservations and a cup of steaming chamomile tea to unwind after a long flight. —Natasha Amar, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025

Just then, they were joined by Colin Jost as Hegseth — and Pirro promptly spit red wine in his face in surprise. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 10 May 2025

The fan was promptly removed from the arena, per ESPN. —Natasha Dye, People.com, 9 May 2025

Decide what to do with each item promptly to avoid any temptation to keep holding onto it. —Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1