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• out-of-date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

At the party, Zietz brought in a tattoo artist and promised instant job interviews to anyone willing to get inked. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026

Take a cue from Elizabeth Taylor with a coral mini dress, straw bag, shell pendant necklace, and oversized sunglasses for instant vacation glamour. — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 30 July 2026

Noun

The backlash was so fierce and instant that the CEO of one of Ferrari’s closest rivals, Lamborghini’s Stephan Winkelmann, revealed that the response only further convinced him his company was right to cancel its first EV. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 July 2026

Applying and getting approved for the credit card is easy (and oftentimes instant). — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 14 July 2026