adverb
-
immediately; at once
-
archaic urgently or insistently
Synonym Usage
See immediately.
Etymology
Origin of instantly
Late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at instant, -ly
Explanation
Something happens instantly when there's no pause or delay at all before it occurs. If you fall asleep as soon as your head touches your pillow, you can say you drifted off instantly. If an event is immediate, it happens instantly. Your parents might say they fell in love instantly, the moment they first saw each other, and you may realize instantly on the first day of school that you are going to love your history class. The adverb instantly first meant "persistently," rather than "immediately," though it soon gained this meaning. The Medieval Latin root is instantem, "pressing, urgent," or "standing near."
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.
Instantly, Camille is overcome with desire, as well as a more surprising, complicated feeling: jealousy.
From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026
Instantly recognizable as the backdrop to the L.A. skyline, Mt.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026
Instantly recognisable by their electric blue shop fronts, branches of LAP Coffee have become a common sight in Berlin's hippest neighbourhoods over the past two years.
From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025
Instantly the movie—about a boy who accidentally travels back in time in a now-iconic DeLorean and must find his way back to the present—was what it was meant to be: funny.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
Instantly, the wolf was back on his feet, but even through his pain, Jack was faster.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
