instantly
American Heritage Dictionary:
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in·stant·ly
(ĭn'stənt-lē) 
adv.
As soon as.
adv.
- At once.
- With insistence; urgently.
As soon as.
Fowler's Modern English Usage:
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instantly, instantaneously
Instantly means 'immediately' and refers to the point at which something happens, whereas instantaneously means 'in an instant' and refers to the (imperceptibly short) period of time that something takes:
He pressed the override switch and the computer came instantly to life—A. Haig, 1974
Her throat had been slashed viciously, and she must have died almost instantaneously—R. Long, 1990.The result can often be the same, but the difference of emphasis is worth bearing in mind.
| install, inspector, insoluble, unsolvable | |
| instigate, instil, instinctive, instinctual |
Roget's Thesaurus:
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instantly
adverb
- Without delay: directly, forthwith, immediately, instant, now, right away, right off, straightaway, straight off. Idioms: at once, first off. See time.
Antonyms by Answers.com:
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instantly
adv
Definition: right now
Antonyms: eventually, later, slowly
Word Tutor:
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instantly
IN BRIEF: adv. - Without any delay; Without delay or hesitation.
He insists on being paid instantly for what he does
— J. T. Mackey
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Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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