Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Directly
Di-rect′ly
,adv.
1.
In a direct manner; in a straight line or course.
“To run directly on.” Shak.
Indirectly and
Thou hast contrived against the very life
Of the defendant.
directly
tooThou hast contrived against the very life
Of the defendant.
Shakespeare
2.
In a straightforward way; without anything intervening; not by secondary, but by direct, means.
3.
Without circumlocution or ambiguity; absolutely; in express terms.
No man hath hitherto been so impious as plainly and
directly
to condemn prayer. Hooker.
4.
Exactly; just.
Stand you
directly
in Antonius’ way. Shakespeare
5.
Straightforwardly; honestly.
I have dealt most
directly
in thy affair. Shakespeare
6.
Manifestly; openly.
[Obs.]
Desdemona is
directly
in love with him. Shakespeare
7.
Straightway; next in order; without delay; immediately.
“Will she go now to bed?' [GREEK]Directly.'” Shak.
8.
Immediately after; as soon as.
Directly
he stopped, the coffin was removed. Dickens.
☞ This use of the word is common in England, especially in colloquial speech, but it can hardly be regarded as a well-sanctioned or desirable use.
Syn. – Immediately; forthwith; straightway; instantly; instantaneously; soon; promptly; openly; expressly.
–
Directly
, Immediately
, Instantly
, Instantaneously
. Directly denotes, without any delay or diversion of attention; immediately implies, without any interposition of other occupation; instantly implies, without any intervention of time. Hence, “I will do it directly,” means, “I will go straightway about it.” “I will do it immediately,” means, “I will do it as the very next thing.” “I will do it instantly,” allows not a particle of delay. Instantaneously, like instantly, marks an interval too small to be appreciable, but commonly relates to physical causes; as, the powder touched by fire
. instantaneously
explodedWebster 1828 Edition
Directly
DIRECTLY
,adv.
1.
In a straight lin or course; rectilineally; not in a winding course. Aim directly to the object. Gravity tends directly to the center of the earth.2.
Immediately; soon; without delay; as, he will be with us directly.3.
Openly; expressly, without circumlocution or ambiguity, or without a train or inferences.No man hath been so impious, as directly to condemn prayer.
Definition 2024
directly
directly
English
Adverb
directly (comparative more directly, superlative most directly)
- In a direct manner; in a straight line or course.
- He drove directly to the office, and didn't stop off at the petrol station.
- In a straightforward way; without anything intervening; not by secondary, but by direct means.
- I'm sick of asking you to fire him, I'll just do it directly.
- Plainly, without circumlocution or ambiguity; absolutely; in express terms.
- I'm going to tell Natalie directly that I love her.
- To put it more directly: he's not 'made redundant' but sacked.
- 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:
- "Mujtahidd" has attracted almost 300,000 followers since the end of last year, when he began posting scandalous claims about the Saudi elite. In one tweet, Mujtahidd directly challenged Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd about his political history: "Did you resign or were you forced to resign from your post as head of the diwan [office] of the council of ministers?"
- Exactly; just.
- It's directly across the street.
- 2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American Scientist:
- The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone, […] . Scribes, illuminators, and scholars held such stones directly over manuscript pages as an aid in seeing what was being written, drawn, or read.
- Straightforwardly; honestly.
- He told me directly that he'd cheated on me, and how sorry he was for it.'
- (dated) Immediately.
- (Midland South) Soon; next; when it becomes convenient.
- We'll go to the store directly, but first I need to finish sweeping.
Antonyms
Translations
in a direct manner
|
in a straightforward way
|
plainly, without circumlocution or ambiguity
exactly; just
immediately — see immediately
straightforwardly; honestly
soon; next; when it becomes convenient
Conjunction
directly
- As soon as.
- 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 725:
- Tenderly, reluctantly, he took his leave of her, promising that he would contact her directly he got back, perhaps in ten days or so.
- 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate 2010, p. 463:
- He is to go to Calais, directly this is over, to replace Lord Berners as governor [...].
- 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 725:
Statistics
Most common English words before 1923: warm · sufficient · conduct · #930: directly · James · Greek · island