Synonyms of instant

instant 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in instantaneous

done or occurring without any noticeable lapse in time

an instant response to the cry for help

Synonyms & Similar Words

• instantaneous
• immediate
• split-second
• rapid
• summary
• straightaway
• quick
• swift
• speedy
• prompt
• fast
• hit-and-run

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slow
• prolonged
• sluggish
• protracted
• tardy
• deferred
• dilatory
• delayed

2

as in urgent

needing immediate attention

an instant need for food supplies in the famine-stricken country

Synonyms & Similar Words

• urgent
• acute
• pressing
• intense
• compelling
• emergent
• critical
• dire
• crying
• immediate
• imperative
• desperate
• exigent
• serious
• importunate
• burning
• imperious
• clamant
• extreme
• crucial
• insistent
• necessitous
• overriding
• demanding
• dangerous
• life-and-death
• hazardous
• explosive
• severe
• vital
• precarious
• perilous
• grave
• unstable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• minor
• trivial
• negligible
• incidental
• unimportant
• stable
• safe
• low-pressure
• noncritical
• nonurgent
• nonthreatening

3

as in current

existing or in progress right now

we should be more concerned with instant dangers than with those in the far-off future

Synonyms & Similar Words

• current
• present
• immediate
• ongoing
• recent
• existing
• new
• existent
• extant
• present-day
• modern
• contemporary
• newfangled
• up-to-date
• modernistic
• ultramodern
• being
• breathing
• mod
• new-fashioned
• red-hot
• supermodern
• space-age
• living

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• future
• coming
• unborn
• over
• terminated
• through
• up
• finished
• ended
• completed
• old
• obsolete
• ancient
• concluded
• old-time
• old-fashioned
• done
• antiquated
• archaic
• past
• antique
• antediluvian
• out-of-date
• dated
• former
• outworn
• bygone
• erstwhile
• musty
• passé
• noncontemporary
• fusty
• oldfangled
• ago

instant

2 of 2

noun

ˈin(t)-stənt 

as in minute

a very small space of time

it all happened in an instant

Synonyms & Similar Words

• minute
• second
• moment
• heartbeat
• jiffy
• nanosecond
• trice
• split second
• flash
• twinkling
• twinkle
• wink
• shake
• eyeblink
• jiff
• beat
• microsecond
• New York minute
• spurt
• snatch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• age
• eternity
• forever
• lifetime
• eon
• infinity

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of instant

Adjective

Fulton made an instant impact, securing a gritty interception after the Chiefs’ field goal to give Kansas City the ball back at the Indianapolis 16. — Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

The luxe corduroy fabric also has a soft sheen, giving casual outfits instant pizzazz. — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026

Noun

Considering stars live for billions of years, that is an instant on a cosmic timescale. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Who was going to break the game open in an instant, Millwall’s effort and industry be damned? — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026