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Momentous vs Momentarily - What's the difference?

momentous | momentarily |

As an adjective momentous

is outstanding in importance, of great consequence.

As an adverb momentarily is

in a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.

momentous

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Outstanding in importance, of great consequence.
  • * 1725 , , Everybody's Business is Nobody's Business :
    • The reason why I did not publish this book till the end of the last sessions of parliament was, because I did not care to interfere with more momentous affairs.
  • * 1831 , , Homeward Bound , ch. 31:
    • "It has been a momentous month, and I hope we shall all retain healthful recollections of it as long as we live."
  • * 1902 , , The End of the Tether , ch. 3:
    • What to the other parties was merely the sale of a ship was to him a momentous event involving a radically new view of existence.
  • * 2007 July 1, , " Inferior Design," New York Times (retrieved 19 Nov 2013):
    • Natural selection is arguably the most momentous idea ever to occur to a human mind, because it — alone as far as we know — explains the elegant illusion of design that pervades the living kingdoms and explains, in passing, us.

    Derived terms

    * momentously * momentousness

    momentarily

    English

    Adverb

    (-)
  • In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
  • (US) In a moment or very soon; at any moment.
  • 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);“ Just a Moment]”, by (William Safire), ''(New York Times),'' May 11, 1997''I Stand Corrected: More on Language,'' by William Safire [http://books.google.com/books?client=iceweasel-a&id=1fuhvj8icSsC&dq=momentarily&q=momentarily
  • search_anchor pp. 137–138, ] nonetheless, this use is quite common in North America, and is particularly associated with airlines, such as “we will be landing momentarily”.On language, by William Safire, 1980, [http://books.google.com/books?client=iceweasel-a&id=mrJZAAAAMAAJ&dq=momentarily&q=momentarily p. 9 In place of ''momentarily , many speakers prefer the terms (presently), (soon) or the phrase “in a moment”, for this sense of “in a moment”.

    • References