SHORTLY Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

shortly

adverb

ˈshȯrt-lē

Definition of shortly

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shortly Church’s historic status Property records show the church was built in 1948, though its congregation dates back to 1896, shortly before Miami was incorporated as a city. — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026 An impressive backheel flick from Esposito put Inter 3-1 up in early in the second half and Yann Bisseck added a fourth shortly afterwards. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026 Wright built a vacation rental in the area in 2017 and started contacting the city shortly thereafter. — Charlotte Observer, 21 Aug. 2026 In 2025, fans were given the opportunity to weigh in on Bonnaroo’s future through a survey sent out shortly following the cancellation, with organizers querying everything from when and where the event is held to its ongoing musical direction. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shortly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortly

Adverb

As shown on the chart, the load curve in 2026 surged significantly in late June, briefly exceeding 125,000 megawatts.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Las Vegas' Matt Gay, who played briefly for San Francisco last season, made 4 of 5 field goals, his miss coming from 54 yards in the third quarter.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of briefly

Adverb

For years, America's been in the chokehold of unnecessarily oversized pickup trucks, but recent announcements of new vehicles show that common sense – and more reasonably proportioned utes – may soon prevail.

— Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
Robinson was expected to be an upgrade over veteran receiver Robert Woods, who was subsequently traded to the Tennessee Titans soon after the Robinson deal, but wasn’t able to achieve his previous levels of success.

— Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of soon

Adverb

Yet, water and electricity are precisely the two critical resources that the AI and semiconductor industries rely on heavily.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Rather than simply reducing opponents’ health, players seek to break opponents’ posture by precisely deflecting and countering attacks.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026