different between momentarily vs immediately

English

Etymology

momentary +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?m??m?nt???l?i/, /?m??m?nt???l?i/

Adverb

momentarily (not comparable)

1. (manner) In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
2. (US, proscribed, duration) In a moment or very soon; any minute now, any time now.

3. Progressively; moment by moment.

Usage notes

Many speakers object to the use of momentarily in the sense of “in a moment” rather than “for a moment”, since this is inconsistent with the meaning of momentary; nonetheless, this use is quite common in North America, and is particularly associated with airlines, such as “we will be landing momentarily”. In place of momentarily, many speakers prefer the terms presently, soon or the phrase “in a moment”, for this sense of “in a moment”.

Synonyms

• (in a moment): presently, shortly, soon; see also Thesaurus:soon
• (for a moment): briefly, temporarily; see also Thesaurus:temporarily
• (moment by moment): incrementally, progressively, step by step; see also Thesaurus:gradually

Translations

References

English

Etymology

From immediate +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??mi?di.?tli/, /??mi?di.?tli/
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): /??mi?d??tli/, /??mi?d??tli/
• Hyphenation: im?me?di?ate?ly, im?me?diate?ly

Adverb

immediately (not comparable)

1. In an immediate manner; instantly or without delay.
   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:immediately.

Synonyms

• forthwith, now, tout de suite; see also Thesaurus:immediately

Translations

Conjunction

immediately

1. directly (as soon as), instantly. Indicates that the independent clause describes something that occurs immediately after the dependent clause's referent does.

Synonyms

• as soon as
• directly after, immediately after, right after, etc.