immediate
Americanadjective
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occurring or accomplished without delay; instant.
an immediate reply.
- Synonyms:
- instantaneous
-
following or preceding without a lapse of time.
the immediate future.
-
having no object or space intervening; nearest or next.
in the immediate vicinity.
-
of or relating to the present time or moment.
our immediate plans.
-
without intervening medium or agent; direct.
an immediate cause.
-
having a direct bearing.
immediate consideration.
-
being family members who are very closely related to oneself, usually including one’s parents, siblings, spouse, and children.
my immediate family;
her immediate kin;
his immediate relatives.
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Philosophy. directly intuited.
adjective
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taking place or accomplished without delay
an immediate reaction
-
closest or most direct in effect or relationship
the immediate cause of his downfall
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having no intervening medium; direct in effect
an immediate influence
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contiguous in space, time, or relationship
our immediate neighbour
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present; current
the immediate problem is food
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philosophy of or relating to an object or concept that is directly known or intuited
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logic (of an inference) deriving its conclusion from a single premise, esp by conversion or obversion of a categorial statement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of immediate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin immediātus; see im- 2, mediate (adjective)
Explanation
Something immediate is happening now or right away. If you're in immediate danger, you'd better run or call 911. Immediate is a word that pretty much means "now." If you take immediate action, then there's no delay. If you need immediate assistance, you can't wait for assistance. The related word immediately should be a clue, since it also means "right now." If something is happening later, or it happened a long time ago, or you have to wait for it at all, then it's not immediate.
Vocabulary lists containing immediate
"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Unit 1: Ecological Systems
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 18
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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.
Another option is to defer gains with exchange funds, private investment partnerships that allow investors to diversify concentrated stock positions without triggering immediate capital-gains taxes.
From Barron's • Jun. 13, 2026
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has retired from all international cricket with immediate effect.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
As for those immediate beneficiaries to an end of hostilities in the Gulf, Hartnett and his colleagues noted that REITs were touching new highs this week.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
“Following a staff member report of member misconduct, the club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member, conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action,” the statement read.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
His long-promised games collection, My 60 Memorable Games, was published by Simon & Schuster, and it made an immediate and indelible impression on the chess public.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
