Meanings
- not comparableOccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time.First known use 17th c.
This instantaneous motion is supposed by you, to be infinitely swift.
1631, William Twisse, chapter VI, in A Discovery of D. Iacksons vanitie, page 2235 more examples
However, no lovers in romance ever cemented a more inſtantaneous friendſhip.
1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], “Fresh Mortifications, or a Demonstration that Seeming Calamities may be Real Blessings”, in The Vicar of Wakefield: […], volume I, Salisbury, Wiltshire: […] B. Collins, for F[rancis] Newbery, […], →OCLC, page 137The colour now rushed into Elizabeth's cheeks in the instantaneous conviction of its being a letter from the nephew, instead of the aunt; [...]
1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter XV, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 262I walk always with my right hand closed round the india-rubber ball which I have in my trouser pocket. The pressing of this ball actuates a detonator inside the flask I carry in my pocket. It's the principle of the pneumatic instantaneous shutter for a camera lens.
1906 January–October, Joseph Conrad, chapter IV, in The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale (Collection of British Authors; 3995), copyright edition, London: Bernhard Tauchnitz, published 1907, →OCLC, pages 68–69The penis is the perfectly obvious and natural symbol of instantaneous time.
1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 129He said that the bullet went through her head, severed her spine and death would have been almost instantaneous.
2007 May 30, “Spector jury given graphic account of actress ‘murder’”, in The Times, London, retrieved 13 Jul 2007Synonyms: immediate, instant, flash, immediate, instant, split-second, insta-, present
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*énu
- Latinin-
- Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
- Proto-Indo-European*sth₂éh₁yeti
- Proto-Italic*staējō
- Proto-Italic*staēō
- Latinstō
- Latinīnstō
- Latinīnstantem
- New Latinīnstāntāneus
- Englishinstantaneous
Derived from New Latin īnstāntāneus, from Latin īnstantem. From New Latin īnstāntāneus, from Latin īnstantem.
More words from New Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian моментен, незабавен
- моментен (momenten)occurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- незабавен (nezabaven)occurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Catalan instantani
- instantanioccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Esperanto tuja
- tujaoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Finnish välitön, silmänräpäyksellinen
- välitönoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- silmänräpäyksellinenoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- äkillinenoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- hetkellinenoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
French instantané
- instantanéoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
German augenblicklich, unverzüglich
- augenblicklichoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- unverzüglichoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Hungarian pillanatnyi, azonnali
- pillanatnyioccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- azonnalioccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- pontszerűoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- mozzanatosoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Irish láithreach
- láithreachoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Italian istantaneo
- istantaneooccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Malay seketika
- seketikaoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Polish momentalny, chwilowy
- momentalnyoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- chwilowyoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Portuguese instantâneo
- instantâneooccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Romanian instantaneu, momentan
- instantaneuoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- momentanoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Russian мгнове́нный, момента́льный
- мгнове́нный (mgnovénnyj)occurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- момента́льный (momentálʹnyj)occurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Spanish instantáneo
- instantáneooccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Swedish omedelbar, ögonblicklig
- omedelbaroccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
- ögonblickligoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Tagalog iglapin
- iglapinoccurring, arising, or functioning without any delay; happening within an imperceptibly brief period of time
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with instantaneous
Cite this entry
instantaneous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instantaneous
“instantaneous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instantaneous. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “instantaneous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instantaneous.
Source: instantaneous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.