English

Alternative forms

• enstantly (rare)
• instantlie (obsolete)
• instauntly (obsolete)

Adverb

instantly ‎(not comparable)

1. (archaic) Urgently; with insistence. [from 15th c.]
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, II.27:

     Theoxena although she were instantly urged thereunto, could never be induced to marry againe.

2. At once; without delay. [from 16th c.]

   When the neighbours' dog barked, ours instantly replied with a howl.‎

   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:

     Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.

   • 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:

     The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott.

Synonyms

• (At once; without delay): immediately

Translations