promptly

Right on time

Promptly means without delay, right away: She promptly returned the call.

It often implies meeting an expected timeframe or acting at the proper moment: The meeting started promptly at nine.

Promptly can also suggest immediate consequence: He ate the oyster and promptly threw up.

swift

quickly

At high speed

swiftly · briskly · hastily · expeditiously · posthaste · lickety-split · pronto · snappily · apace · fleet

immediate

instantly

Without any pause

right away · at once · without delay · directly · now · instantaneous · instant · moment · spontaneous · sudden

punctual

on-time

At the scheduled moment

clockwork · reliable · discipline · appointment · sharp · precisely · exactly · dot · punctuality · dependable

urgent

urgently

With pressing immediacy

critical · imperative · emergency · crisis · desperate · dire · compelling · insistent · demanding · time-sensitive

Categories
Opposites
timing/punctuality

promptlylate

Not on time

tardily · belatedly · behind schedule · after the fact · eventually

speed of action

promptlyslowly

At reduced speed

sluggishly · leisurely · laggardly · gradually · unhurriedly

attentiveness/diligence

promptlynegligently

With culpable inattention

carelessly · heedlessly · inattentively · halfheartedly

Phrases
Family

prompt, impromptu, prompted, prompting, promptness, prompts, unprompted, prompter, promptitude

Familiarity
Top 5,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G