Standard Lemma guide

immediate

adj · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈmiː.dɪət/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɪˈmiː.d͡ʒɪt/
  • Canada, General-American: /ɪˈmi.di.ɪt/
  • Canada, General-American: /ɪˈmi.di.ət/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ɪˈmiːdi.ɪt/
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 M IY1 D IY2 AH0 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Happening right away, instantly, with no delay.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Computer users these days expect immediate results when they click on a link.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Very close; direct or adjacent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • immediate family; immediate vicinity

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Manifestly true; requiring no argument.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Embedded as part of the instruction itself, rather than stored elsewhere (such as a register or memory location).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computer, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, science, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Used to denote that a transmission is urgent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: procedure word

Topics: government, military, politics, war

Examples

  • Bravo Three, this Bravo Six. Immediate! We are coming under fire from the north from an unknown enemy, over!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

An artillery fire mission modifier for two types of fire mission to denote an immediate need for fire: Immediate smoke, all guns involved must reload smoke and fire. Immediate suppression, all guns involved fire the rounds currently loaded and then switch to high explosive with impact fused (unless fuses are specified).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: procedure word

Topics: government, military, politics, war

Examples

  • Hotel Two-Niner, this is Bravo Six. Immediate suppression at grid November-Kilo four-five-three two-one-five. Danger Close. I authenticate Golf Echo, over.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

having no intervening medium

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an immediate influence

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: mediate

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

very close or connected in space or time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • contiguous events
  • immediate contact
  • the immediate vicinity
  • the immediate past

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: contiguous

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

performed with little or no delay

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an immediate reply to my letter
  • a prompt reply
  • was quick to respond
  • a straightaway denial

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prompt, quick, straightaway

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

immediately before or after as in a chain of cause and effect

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the immediate result
  • the immediate cause of the trouble

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

of the present time and place

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the immediate revisions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Old French immediat (French immédiat), borrowed from Late Latin immediātus (“without in-between, moderation”), from Latin in + mediātus, perfect passive participle of mediō (“to halve, to be in the middle”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from medius (“middle”). By surface analysis, im- + mediate.

Across languages

Translations

77 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فَوْرِيّ (fawriyy) — without delay
  • Belarusian: неадкла́дны (njeadkládny) — without delay
  • Bulgarian: незаба́вен (nezabáven) — without delay
  • Catalan: immediat — without delay
  • Chamicuro: kapaletsi'ta — without delay
  • Chinese Mandarin: 即時 /即时 (jíshí) — without delay
  • Czech: okamžitý — without delay
  • Danish: øjeblikkelig — without delay
  • Dutch: direct — without delay
  • Dutch: onmiddellijk — without delay
  • Esperanto: tuja — without delay
  • Finnish: välitön — without delay
  • French: immédiat — without delay
  • Galician: inmediato — without delay
  • German: sofortig — without delay
  • Greek: άμεσος (ámesos) — without delay
  • Italian: immediato — without delay
  • Japanese: 即時の (sokuji no) — without delay
  • Khmer: ភ្លាម (phliəm) — without delay
  • Korean: 즉시 (jeuksi) — without delay
  • Māori: whawhati tata — without delay
  • Norwegian Bokmål: umiddelbar — without delay
  • Norwegian Bokmål: øyeblikkelig — without delay
  • Norwegian Bokmål: med det samme — without delay
  • Norwegian Bokmål: omgående — without delay
  • Persian: بلافاصله (belâfâsele) — without delay
  • Persian: آنی (âni) — without delay
  • Polish: natychmiastowy — without delay
  • Polish: bezpośredni — without delay
  • Polish: bezzwłoczny — without delay
  • Polish: niezwłoczny — without delay
  • Polish: doraźny — without delay
  • Polish: momentalny — without delay
  • Portuguese: imediato — without delay
  • Romanian: imediat — without delay
  • Russian: неме́дленный (nemédlennyj) — without delay
  • Scottish Gaelic: grad — without delay
  • Spanish: inmediato — without delay
  • Swedish: ögonblicklig — without delay
  • Swedish: omedelbar — without delay
  • Tagalog: mabilis — without delay
  • Tagalog: madali — without delay
  • Telugu: తక్షణ (takṣaṇa) — without delay
  • Ukrainian: нега́йний (nehájnyj) — without delay
  • Ukrainian: безпосере́дній (bezposerédnij) — without delay
  • Urdu: فوری (fauri) — without delay
  • Vietnamese: ngay lập tức — without delay
  • Yiddish: באַלדיק (baldik) — without delay
  • Belarusian: непасрэ́дны (njepasrédny) — very close
  • Belarusian: беспасярэ́дні (bjespasjarédni) — very close
  • Bulgarian: пряк (prjak) — very close
  • Bulgarian: непосре́дствен (neposrédstven) — very close
  • Catalan: pròxim — very close
  • Czech: bezprostřední — very close
  • Danish: tæt — very close
  • Danish: umiddelbar — very close
  • Finnish: lähin — very close
  • French: proche — very close
  • French: immédiat — very close
  • German: unmittelbar — very close
  • German: immediat — very close
  • Hindi: ठीक (ṭhīk) — very close
  • Italian: prossimo — very close
  • Italian: stretto — very close
  • Italian: diretto — very close
  • Italian: immediato — very close
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nærmeste — very close
  • Persian: نزدیک (nazdik) — very close
  • Portuguese: imediato — very close
  • Russian: бли́зкий (blízkij) — very close
  • Russian: ближа́йший (bližájšij) — very close
  • Russian: окре́стный (okréstnyj) — very close
  • Russian: непосре́дственный (neposrédstvennyj) — very close
  • Spanish: inmediato — very close
  • Swedish: omedelbar — very close
  • Ukrainian: найбли́жчий (najblýžčyj) — very close
  • Ukrainian: безпосере́дній (bezposerédnij) — very close
Real reading context

immediate in complete knowledge articles