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
Trump's criticism of Powell started shortly after Powell became chair.
—
Rachel Barber, USA Today, 15 June 2026
During a hot-fire test at Blue Origin’s Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a New Glenn rocket—preparing for an upcoming mission—exploded violently shortly after its seven BE-4 engines ignited.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Only about 250 copies of the first edition were printed, and this one has been in a private library since shortly after its publication in 1847.
—ABC News, 15 June 2026
Visiting New York shortly after September 11th, Habermas was alienated by an upsurge of patriotic blather and xenophobia.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortly
Rachel Barber, USA Today, 15 June 2026
During a hot-fire test at Blue Origin’s Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, a New Glenn rocket—preparing for an upcoming mission—exploded violently shortly after its seven BE-4 engines ignited.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Only about 250 copies of the first edition were printed, and this one has been in a private library since shortly after its publication in 1847.
—ABC News, 15 June 2026
Visiting New York shortly after September 11th, Habermas was alienated by an upsurge of patriotic blather and xenophobia.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortly
Adverb
-
Banks briefly departed the series for its penultimate 2016-2017 season, when British pop singer Rita Ora hosted.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
-
Three months free of Amazon Music was briefly bundled with the Galaxy S26 series, but that has disappeared too.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Adverb
-
The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
14 June 2026
-
The only time Team USA managed to put the ball in the net sooner was in 2002 against Portugal (29th minute) and in a 1930 meeting with Paraguay (15th minute).—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Adverb
-
Washington Crossing the Delaware is perfect tour-guide material—it can be seen by a bunch of people at once, and its story can be told concisely, timed to the minute.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
Knowing what to do if a power surge damages your appliances and electronics is essential for protecting your home, preventing future issues, and reporting damages clearly and concisely to your insurance company and the local electric company.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Musk’s pitch placing SpaceX at the heart of a science-fiction vision of the future, with data centers in space and robot factories on the moon, came at precisely the right time to capitalize on the surging appetite for investments related to the AI boom.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
-
The city priced its jerseys at $50 precisely so regular New Yorkers could afford them, which is the same instinct behind the $50 ticket lottery and the free Great Lawn watch party.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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