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Instantaneous vs Instantly - What's the difference?

instantaneous | instantly |

As an adjective instantaneous

is occurring]], [[arise|arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time.

As an adverb instantly is

(archaic) urgently; with insistence.

instantaneous

English

Adjective

(-)
  • Occurring]], [[arise, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time.
  • * 1631 , William Twisse, A discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie , ch. 6, p. 223,
    • This instantaneous motion is supposed by you, to be infinitely swift.
  • * 1766 , , The Vicar of Wakefield , ch. 14.
    • However, no lovers in romance ever cemented a more instantaneous friendship.
  • * 1813 , , Pride and Prejudice , ch. 57,
    • The colour now rushed into Elizabeth's cheeks in the instantaneous conviction of its being a letter from the nephew.
  • * 1907 , , The Secret Agent , ch. 4,
    • It's the principle of the pneumatic instantaneous shutter for a camera lens.
  • * 2007 , Spector jury given graphic account of actress 'murder' Times Online , London, 30 May (retrieved 13 July 2007),
    • He said that the bullet went through her head, severed her spine and death would have been almost instantaneous .

    Synonyms

    * instant

    Derived terms

    * instantaneously * instantaneity

    References

    * * * * * " instantaneous" in Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Cambridge University Press, 2007) * " instantaneous" in Compact Oxford English Dictionary , (Oxford University Press, 2007) * Oxford English Dictionary , second edition (1989) English words suffixed with -aneous

    instantly

    English

    Alternative forms

    * enstantly (rare) * instantlie (obsolete) * instauntly (obsolete)

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (archaic) Urgently; with insistence.
  • *, II.27:
    • Theoxena although she were instantly urged thereunto, could never be induced to marry againe.
  • At once; without delay.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=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.}}
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=November 10, author=Jeremy Wilson, work=Telegraph
    • , title= England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report , passage=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. }}