1
as in straight
in a direct line or course
we went directly to the site without stopping to pick up extra supplies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in openly
in an honest and direct manner
the instructor deals with her art students very directly, always telling them the plain truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in accurately
in the same words
quoted directly from the encyclopedia
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in immediately
without delay
in case of a medical emergency, do not try to contact your doctor but instead go directly to the hospital
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in shortly
at or within a short time
dinner should be ready directly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of directly
PayPal's agentic commerce strategy centers on Store Sync, which connects product inventory and fulfillment directly into the PayPal trust wallet.
—
Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
In recent years, college sports have become an unregulated, high-stakes environment in which players are paid directly by schools and can transfer an unlimited number of times.
—Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
First, federal funding for residency positions should be tied more directly to geographic and specialty shortages.
—Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams, STAT, 19 June 2026
The exact time of the equinox is the moment the sun is directly overhead at the equator.
—ABC News, 19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for directly
Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
In recent years, college sports have become an unregulated, high-stakes environment in which players are paid directly by schools and can transfer an unlimited number of times.
—Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
First, federal funding for residency positions should be tied more directly to geographic and specialty shortages.
—Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams, STAT, 19 June 2026
The exact time of the equinox is the moment the sun is directly overhead at the equator.
—ABC News, 19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for directly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for directly
Adverb
-
The kitchen is dreamy with its huge windows and Siberian elm countertops; same goes for the back patio with its trellis covering a full-size outdoor-dining table that feels straight out of Under the Tuscan Sun.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
14 June 2026
-
Dallas did not run into the same slow-start hitch in set two and fended off the Aces’ mid-set comeback efforts to win 15-11 and secure the straight-set victory.—
Ava DiCecca,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Adverb
-
By far the best known of Egypt’s players, Salah is a Sunni Muslim who practices his faith openly, on and off the field.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
-
Like Kennedy, many of them hold anti-vaccine views and are also openly hostile to mRNA technology.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
The potential benefits of more inclusive workplaces are 2SLGBTQIA+ professionals better placed to develop and produce diverse Canadian stories to more accurately reflect multicultural audiences at home and worldwide.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2026
-
No one has ever seen — or, perhaps more accurately, heard — him like this before.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
The company, which aired the UFC event live in theaters, did not immediately respond to an inquiry from USA TODAY.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
White was arrested a few days later and charged with assault for allegedly slapping Kyng in February 2025 after Kyng urinated on himself, but charges related to the child's death were not immediately filed.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
On June 21, 2019, a Beechcraft King Air with 10 skydivers on board crashed shortly after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield near Waialua, Hawaii.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
-
Ongoing construction worsened the situation, but shortly after the interchange, traffic eased.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Adverb
-
Mary Shelley also seems like the type of person who would fit right into the Widow’s Bay community.—
Jen Chaney,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
-
In May 2026, the 32 year old was named the ambassador for Calzedonia’s SS26 swimwear collection—right after Hailey Bieber broke the Internet with her own campaign for the label.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
16 June 2026
Adverb
-
For example, someone may sincerely believe a supplement, detox or alternative therapy helped when symptoms may have improved naturally or because of expectation alone.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The back support was there, and as someone who’s five eleven, that was sincerely appreciated.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
15 June 2026
Adverb
-
The Knicks elected to foul rather than allow San Antonio to attempt a tying three and the strategy worked exactly as intended.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Alex Mashrabov, a former Snap executive, founded the text-to-video model Higgsfield AI last year for exactly this purpose.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Directly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/directly. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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