timely
Americanadjective
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timelier,
comparative
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timeliest
superlative
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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
Synonym Usage
See opportune.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
"At the same time, we need to ensure that women across all Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities have access to culturally appropriate education, screening, and timely follow-up care."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
The claimants' lawsuit alleges Wondermind failed to meet "even its most basic obligations, such as timely paying its employees and vendors".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
And this may be a timely message as so many millennials and Generation Z find themselves unable to afford to buy a home.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Off-site providers who are not paid timely may not accept new patients or continue to provide vital care and services.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“May I have your permission to speak? I have a small request to make, and it requires a timely response.”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Yet A House of Dynamite could scarcely be timelier.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026
The Education Department’s recent launch of a portal for universities’ foreign-funding disclosures was even timelier than officials likely realized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
But unfortunately for the Fed, the timelier releases won’t come until after, Reid added.
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
CMS also argues the VRDC, which is already used by some external researchers, provides data in a timelier and more cost-effective manner.
From Science Magazine ● May 9, 2024
An event That could not timelier prove for our petition!
From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 04 Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes by Kuno Francke
“Payrolls tend to be a better guide to the economy’s true momentum than the timeliest estimates of GDP,” wrote Sam Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics in a note Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025
It nothing else, it is the timeliest release of the year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
The timeliest hit Sunday came from first baseman Carlos Santana, with whom the Mariners are 11-1 since acquiring him from the Royals.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 10, 2022
Perhaps the timeliest work on view right now is “Justice for Our Lives,” a series of digital portraits of victims of police brutality, created by Oree Originol.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 18, 2020
What man than Aias was more provident, Or who for timeliest action more approved?
From The Seven Plays in English Verse by Sophocles
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.
