1
as in briefly
in a few words
the sudden closing of the restaurant was announced only with a shortly worded sign: "Out of Business"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in soon
at or within a short time
the meeting will begin shortly, so don't go too far away to find a bathroom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shortly
The chatbot was taken offline shortly thereafter.
—
Teresa Liu, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
Bella Hadid debuted her darkest hair color in months while stepping out in Milan on February 26, shortly before walking the Prada Milan Fashion Week show.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 26 Feb. 2026
He was cleared to play shortly before Thursday night’s opening tip.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
LaVigne earned a Bachelor of Arts in theater from Northern Kentucky University and shortly moved to New York City to chase his dreams.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortly
Teresa Liu, Daily News, 27 Feb. 2026
Bella Hadid debuted her darkest hair color in months while stepping out in Milan on February 26, shortly before walking the Prada Milan Fashion Week show.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 26 Feb. 2026
He was cleared to play shortly before Thursday night’s opening tip.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026
LaVigne earned a Bachelor of Arts in theater from Northern Kentucky University and shortly moved to New York City to chase his dreams.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortly
Adverb
-
Witnesses said LaBeouf was thrown out of the bar for being aggressive, briefly left the area, but then returned a short time later.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Two people were briefly detained for questioning, but both were released within 24 hours, and law enforcement officials say neither man is considered a suspect.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The ruling establishment will want to move quickly to show stability in the republic, with members of the assembly expected to convene soon to deliberate over possible candidates before naming Khamenei’s replacement.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Her husband was deported to Ecuador soon after they were taken into custody.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Few other comedians do this so consistently or concisely.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Well, first of all, that was incredibly concisely summarized.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
26 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
In the lab setting, various atmospheric variables can be precisely manipulated to closely understand the phenomenon.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Some aim to achieve deep penetration, others to saturate a large area with submunitions, and still others to precisely target, say, a corner of a building.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortly. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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