presently

adv.

1. In a short time; soon: She will arrive presently.
2. Usage Problem. At this time or period; now: He is presently staying with us.
3. Archaic. At once; immediately.

USAGE NOTE   An original meaning of presently was "at the present time; currently." That sense is said to have disappeared from the literary language in the 17th century, but it has survived in popular usage and is widely found nowadays in literate speech and writing. Still, there is a lingering prejudice against this use. The sentence General Walters is ... presently the United States Ambassador to the United Nations was acceptable to only 48 percent of the Usage Panel in the 1999 survey.

adv

Definition: in a short while
Antonyms: eventually, later, never

---

IN BRIEF: adv. - In the near future; At this time or period.

Presently the wind cups ceased their gentle turning as the cold killed the breeze. — Richard E. Byrd, Source: Alone, Admiral Byrd's personal record

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adverb has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: in the near future
  Synonyms: soon, shortly, before long

Meaning #2: at this time or period; now
  Synonym: currently
  Derived from adjective: present (meaning #1)

---

Dansk (Danish)
adv. - snart, straks

Nederlands (Dutch)
nu, aanstonds, spoedig

Français (French)
adv. - à présent, en ce moment, peu de temps après, bientôt

Deutsch (German)
adv. - bald, zur Zeit

Ελληνική (Greek)
adv. - σε λίγο, σύντομα, αμέσως, παρευθύς, (λίαν) προσεχώς

Italiano (Italian)
tra poco, ora, subito

Português (Portuguese)
adv. - presentemente, logo

Русский (Russian)
вскоре, в настоящее время, сразу

Español (Spanish)
adv. - luego, dentro de poco, ahora

Svenska (Swedish)
adv. - snart, för närvarande

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
目前, 不久

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adv. - 目前, 不久

한국어 (Korean)
adv. - 이내, 곧

日本語 (Japanese)
adv. - まもなく, じきに, やがて, 現在, 目下

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(ظرف) حاليا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adv. - ‮בשעה זו, עתה, בקרוב, מיד‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.