already

adv.

1. By this or a specified time: The children were already asleep when we got home.
2. So soon: Are you quitting already?
3. Informal. Used as an intensive: Be quiet already. Enough already.

[Middle English alredi : al, all; see all + redi, ready; see ready.]

adverb

At a time in the past: before, earlier, erstwhile, formerly, once, previously. Archaic aforetime, beforetime. See precede/follow.

IN BRIEF: Prior to a specified or implied time.

There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full. — Henry Kissinger

Tutor's tip: Something that is "all ready," is prepared and completely set, which is different from "already," which means "previously".

Common misspelling(s) of already

• alreayd

Dansk (Danish)
adv. - allerede

Nederlands (Dutch)
al

Français (French)
adv. - déjà

Deutsch (German)
adv. - bereits, schon

Ελληνική (Greek)
adv. - ήδη, κιόλας, λοιπόν

Italiano (Italian)
già

Português (Portuguese)
adv. - já

Русский (Russian)
уже

Español (Spanish)
adv. - ya

Svenska (Swedish)
adv. - redan

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
早已, 已经

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adv. - 早已, 已經

한국어 (Korean)
adv. - 이미

日本語 (Japanese)
adv. - 既に, 前に, 今すぐ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(ظرف) الآن, في ذلك الحين, سابقا, قبل الآن‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adv. - ‮כבר‬

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