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:
He told the crowd in Plaza Independencia the care he received made him think of the "many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis" or receive treatment.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
So it wasn’t surprising that the bill’s negotiators included provisions to ensure timely review, financial remedies for improper federal interference, and removal of future administrations’ ability to meddle with permitted projects, irrespective of energy technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Stubborn inflation was still a big problem, however, and companies had trouble obtaining supplies and delivering goods to customers in a timely manner.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
“That includes public access to crime data, timely handling of California Public Records Act requests within available resources, and respect for the rights of members of the media covering public events.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
On those days Roy’s father always gave him the newspaper so that he could read it on the bus and pick out a timely article.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Williams said the September hike was designed to support “a timelier return to 2% inflation.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 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
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
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
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