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Synonyms

directly

American  
[dih-rekt-lee, dahy-] / dɪˈrɛkt li, daɪ- /

adverb

  1. in a direct line, way, or manner; straight.

    The path leads directly to the lake.

  2. at once; without delay; immediately.

    Do that directly.

  3. shortly; soon.

    They will be here directly.

  4. exactly; precisely.

    directly opposite the store.

  5. without intervening space; next in order.

    The truck was parked directly behind my car.

  6. openly or frankly; candidly.

    He didn't hesitate to speak directly about his debts.

    Synonyms:
    freely
  7. Mathematics. in direct proportion.


conjunction

  1. as soon as.

    Directly he arrived, he mentioned the subject.

directly British  
/ dɪˈrɛktlɪ, daɪ- /

adverb

  1. in a direct manner

  2. at once; without delay

  3. immediately; just

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

conjunction

  1. (subordinating) as soon as

    we left directly the money arrived

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See immediately.

Etymology

Origin of directly

First recorded in 1350–1400, directly is from the Middle English word directli. See direct, -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To directly compare how these two types of memory operate, the researchers designed tasks that were carefully aligned.

From Science Daily

"No responsible government anywhere in the world can allow people to live directly under high-tension cables or obstruct vital waterways," the governor's special adviser on urban development, Olajide Abiodun Babatunde, said in a statement.

From BBC

"By directly harnessing near-constant solar power with little operating or maintenance costs, these satellites will transform our ability to scale compute," Musk wrote in the announcement.

From Barron's

Even without Tesla directly involved, an xAI-SpaceX tie-up will keep Tesla investors dreaming about deeper AI convergence across Musk’s empire.

From Barron's

Rules that raise compliance costs, delay investment, block entry into a marketplace or prohibit a business activity altogether directly constrain the economy’s ability to produce goods and services.

From Barron's