immediate

American  

[ih-mee-dee-it] / ɪˈmi di ɪt /

adjective

1. occurring or accomplished without delay; instant.

   an immediate reply.

   Synonyms:

   instantaneous

   Antonyms:

   deferred, delayed

2. following or preceding without a lapse of time.

   the immediate future.

3. having no object or space intervening; nearest or next.

   in the immediate vicinity.

   Synonyms:

   proximate, close

   Antonyms:

   far, distant

4. of or relating to the present time or moment.

   our immediate plans.

5. without intervening medium or agent; direct.

   an immediate cause.

6. having a direct bearing.

   immediate consideration.

7. 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.

8. Philosophy. directly intuited.

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immediate British  

/ ɪˈmiːdɪət /

adjective

1. taking place or accomplished without delay

   an immediate reaction

2. closest or most direct in effect or relationship

   the immediate cause of his downfall

3. having no intervening medium; direct in effect

   an immediate influence

4. contiguous in space, time, or relationship

   our immediate neighbour

5. present; current

   the immediate problem is food

6. philosophy of or relating to an object or concept that is directly known or intuited

7. logic (of an inference) deriving its conclusion from a single premise, esp by conversion or obversion of a categorial statement

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Other Word Forms

• immediacy noun
• immediately adverb
• immediateness noun
• quasi-immediate adjective
• unimmediate adjective
• unimmediateness noun

Etymology

Origin of immediate

First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin immediātus; im- ², mediate (adjective)

Example Sentences

Swonk warned however that any economic slowdown from the war could be tough to recover from in the immediate term.

From Barron's

The EA currently brings prosecutions and in the last year there have been 10 immediate custodial sentences and the shut down of over 1,000 illegal waste sites.

From BBC

Scotland again pushed for immediate retaliation, but their momentum was killed when Stuart McCloskey's crunching tackle on Russell turned the ball over in Ireland's favour.

From BBC

“Congress and veterans deserve immediate answers before VA and DOJ take any further action. Legal guardianship should be the last resort for veterans,” Blumenthal said in a statement to Salon.

From Salon

But the data outages have had the most immediate and far-reaching impact, extending to dozens of regions across Russia’s 11 time zones—including places far from the fighting in Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• actual
• prompt
• urgent