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

Some of the bribe payments were captured on video and shown to jurors who promptly convicted Jenkins in December. —June 17, CBS News, 17 June 2025

This information is needed to promptly inform you, the international community, and ensure an effective response and assistance to any emergency situation in Iran. —Andrew Stanton jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

The weather was in the lower 60-degree range with overcast skies and no rain when the parade started promptly at 10 a.m. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025

He was promptly ejected by home plate umpire John Tumpane. —Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1