immediate
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
Philosophy. directly intuited.
adjective
-
taking place or accomplished without delay
an immediate reaction
-
closest or most direct in effect or relationship
the immediate cause of his downfall
-
having no intervening medium; direct in effect
an immediate influence
-
contiguous in space, time, or relationship
our immediate neighbour
-
present; current
the immediate problem is food
-
philosophy of or relating to an object or concept that is directly known or intuited
-
logic (of an inference) deriving its conclusion from a single premise, esp by conversion or obversion of a categorial statement
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The study uncovers a hidden mechanism by which cancer cells spread immunosuppressive PD-L1 through extracellular vesicles, allowing tumors to weaken immune responses far beyond their immediate environment.
From Science Daily
“He’s going to bring some excitement back. I was highly impressed. If he’s going to execute what his plan is, he’s going to have immediate success.”
From Los Angeles Times
“I’m into simplifying images until they become familiar, immediate and emotional,” Arens said of his work.
From Los Angeles Times
She added: "This situation further highlights why we need to see immediate, ambitious and urgent action if we are to have any hope of saving our internationally important seabirds."
From BBC
"Pre-mortem dingo bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death," said a spokesperson for the Coroners Court of Queensland.
From Barron's
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.
