Synonyms of shortly

shortly

adverb

ˈshȯrt-lē 

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

• briefly
• concisely
• in brief
• precisely
• summarily
• curtly
• succinctly
• tersely
• laconically
• abruptly
• crisply
• in a nutshell
• in sum
• exactly
• in a word
• pithily
• in short
• compactly
• elliptically
• bluntly
• sententiously
• brusquely
• aphoristically
• bluffly
• monosyllabically

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• diffusely
• wordily
• verbosely
• long-windedly
• redundantly
• repetitiously

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

• soon
• momentarily
• now
• immediately
• promptly
• presently
• before long
• by and by
• directly
• instantly
• forthwith
• instantaneously
• anon
• straightaway
• right now
• right off
• right away
• incontinently
• straightway
• pronto

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shortly

Three lanes of traffic were blocked until shortly before midnight. — Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

Officer John Lacy, a spokesperson for the Overland Park Police Department, said the vehicle rammed into the store at 8686 Antioch Road shortly before noon. — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

In a memo released shortly before she was fired, former CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill accused then-school board Chair Stephanie Sneed of helping direct contracts without the full involvement of the CMS board. — Nora O’Neill 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026

Kane trimmed the deficit to one early in the third with a slick backhand, but Hanifin answered shortly thereafter to restore the two-goal cushion. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026