promptly

adverb

prompt·​ly ˈpräm(p)t-lē 

ˈpräm-plē

1

: in a prompt manner : without delay : very quickly or immediately

I'm going to speak French again, something I learned in school and promptly forgot.

—Deanna Pai

Treatment is promptly resumed until the virus is suppressed again, and then stopped to see if the patient's immune system is able to keep the viral levels in check.

—Joan Stephenson

2

: exactly at a particular time or the correct time

She arrived promptly at 7:00 p.m. as we had agreed.

Synonyms

• bang
• directly
• forthwith
• headlong
• immediately
• incontinently
• instantaneously
• instanter
• instantly
• now
• PDQ
• plumb
• presently
• pronto
• right
• right away
• right now
• right off
• straight off
• straightaway
• straightway

Examples of promptly in a Sentence

shipped the package promptly so that it would arrive on time

Recent Examples on the Web

When the governor signed the fast-food law, two major California Pizza Hut franchisees promptly let go more than 1,200 delivery workers. —Larry Elder, Orange County Register, 6 June 2024

Biologists promptly dismissed the cross-mating theory as impossible. —Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2024

House of Illuminati, the company that ran the experience, promptly canceled the experience and originally said people would receive refunds – but deleted the social media post announcing that. —Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 4 June 2024

This disgraceful decision is legally baseless and should be overturned promptly on appeal. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1