timely
Americanadjective
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occurring at a suitable time; opportune; well-timed.
Our priority is to identify threats against the U.S. and provide accurate, timely warnings.
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occurring within an expected time frame; prompt.
To ensure timely delivery, orders with multiple products may ship separately.
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Archaic. early.
adverb
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seasonably; opportunely.
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Archaic. early or soon.
adjective
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at the right or an opportune or appropriate time
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an archaic word for early
Related Words
See opportune.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of timely
First recorded before 1000; Middle English tim(e)liche, Old English tīmlīce (adverb); see time, -ly
Explanation
If something is finished quickly or on time, then it's been done in a timely manner. Homework, thank-you notes, and your taxes are just a few things that you should complete in a timely manner. Hear that clock ticking? That's the time limit for learning this word in a timely fashion. But the word timely isn't always about speed — being timely can also mean being well-timed or doing something at the most appropriate moment. If you're going for a job interview, it's important to make a timely arrival. And if you bump into friends just when they were wondering how you were doing, then you've made a timely appearance.
Vocabulary lists containing timely
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act III
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Vocabulary from "There Will Never Be an Age of Artificial Intimacy," by Sherry Turkle
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 2
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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.
Timely, memorably worded, sort of galaxy-brained—that’s podcast gold!
From Slate • Sep. 18, 2025
"Timely identification of infants at highest risk of RSV-related morbidity is key to prevention," said lead author Brittney M. Snyder, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
From Science Daily • May 21, 2024
Timely penalties are what kind of has been our Achilles’ heel.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2024
Mainly that examination plays out through Victor Timely, an incarnation of Majors' god that we haven't met before.
From Salon • Oct. 5, 2023
"A Cry from the Wilderness--intended as a Timely and Solemn Warning to the People of the United States" is in every way one of Dow's most characteristic works.
From The Journal of Negro History, Volume 1, January 1916 by Various
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.
