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:
Reviewers touted the book as a timely depiction of the refugee experience, particularly in its depiction of the U.S. as a frightening and hostile territory for immigrants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Councilmember Arlis Reynolds said the proposal is timely, considering an estimated one-half of Costa Mesans are paying more than 30% of their income on housing, the Daily Pilot said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
In response, the inquiry said it remained committed to the welfare and safety of UK Special Forces personnel, and a timely conclusion to the inquiry was in everyone's interest.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
She has helped a lot, but things weren’t done in a timely way — that is, not anticipating his needs before he went on Medicare.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Scheele discovered oxygen in 1772, but for various heartbreakingly complicated reasons could not get his paper published in a timely manner.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
If this had been coded correctly, a "timelier" ambulance response would "likely" have been sent.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
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
The beds i' the East are soft; and, thanks to you, That call'd me, timelier than my purpose, hither; For I have gained by it.
From Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
“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
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
“Phase Six,” about a future pandemic, is his timeliest novel yet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2021
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
It gave us the best and timeliest help we could have had, and was a great impetus to the movement.
From The Story of a Pioneer by Anna Howard Shaw
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.
