presently
Americanadverb
-
in a little while; soon.
They will be here presently.
- Antonyms:
- later
-
at the present time; now.
He is presently out of the country.
-
Archaic. immediately.
adverb
-
in a short while; soon
-
at the moment
-
an archaic word for immediately
Usage
The two apparently contradictory meanings of presently, “in a little while, soon” and “at the present time, now,” are both old in the language. In the latter meaning presently dates back to the 15th century. It is currently in standard use in all varieties of speech and writing in both Great Britain and the United States. The sense “soon” arose gradually during the 16th century. Strangely, it is the older sense “now” that is sometimes objected to by usage guides. The two senses are rarely if ever confused in actual practice. Presently meaning “now” is most often used with the present tense ( The professor is presently on sabbatical leave ) and presently meaning “soon” often with the future tense ( The supervisor will be back presently ). The semantic development of presently parallels that of anon, which first had the meaning, now archaic, of “at once, immediately,” but later came to mean “soon.”
Related Words
See immediately
Etymology
Origin of presently
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; present 1, -ly
Compare meaning
How does presently compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
“It’s likely that Berkshire under Greg Abel’s leadership will commit a large portion of today’s outsized cash reserves at materially higher returns than are presently being earned on U.S. Treasuries,” Bloomstran wrote.
From Barron's
“It’s a very large cave,” explained the owl, “big enough for a polar bear’s needs, and not presently occupied.”
From Literature
This year's fixture list has ensured another potentially gripping finale with Nuno's side ending their season at home to Leeds, who are presently six points clear of them.
From BBC
Many Americans — even well-off ones — are presently unsure about their job security, and it’s been a rough time for job seekers.
From MarketWatch
By contrast, the US presently only has three in operation.
From BBC
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.
