promptly

prompt·ly
P3R1O1M3P3T1L1Y4
US/ˈpɹɑmptli/UK/ˈpɹɒmptli/

adverb

Both soon and quickly.

“The sale will begin on January 28th, promptly at 9 a.m.”

Similar
on linequicklyquickreadilyprontoright away
OriginProto-Germanic *līką ← Proto-Indo-European *leyg- ← English prompt →
CommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

adverbpromptly (comparative more promptly, superlative most promptly)

comparative more promptly · superlative most promptly

  1. In a prompt manner.
    1. Both soon and quickly.

      […] the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep.

      1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC
      1 more example

      After being kidnapped by a seagoing ne'er-do-well, its Lady protagonist finds herself drifting through a passage at the North Pole into a wholly different world, with its own sun, moon and stars, and a population of bear-men, bird-men and fox-men who promptly make her Empress. Win!

      2011 May 11, Sam Leith, “Sam Leith's top 10 alternative realities”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 07 Mar 2021
    2. Exactly at a specific time.

      The sale will begin on January 28th, promptly at 9 a.m.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
on line

adverbwith little or no delay

Similar
quicklyquick

adverbin a punctual manner

Similar
readilypronto

adverbat once (usually modifies an undesirable occurrence)

Similar
right away
Also see
in timeprontopunctuallyquickquicklyreadilyright awaysoon

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Englishprompt
  2. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  3. Proto-Germanic*līką
  4. Englishpromptly

From prompt + -ly.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian веднага, незабавно
  • веднага (vednaga)in a prompt manner
  • незабавно (nezabavno)in a prompt manner
Chinese Mandarin 迅速, 及时
  • 迅速 (xùnsù)in a prompt manner
  • 及时 (jíshí)in a prompt manner
Dutch prompt
  • promptin a prompt manner
Esperanto akurate, rapide
  • akuratein a prompt manner
  • rapidein a prompt manner
Finnish pikaisesti, ripeästi
  • pikaisestiin a prompt manner
  • ripeästiin a prompt manner
  • nopeastiin a prompt manner
  • joutuisastiin a prompt manner
Hungarian haladéktalanul, nyomban
  • haladéktalanulin a prompt manner
  • nyombanin a prompt manner
  • rögtönin a prompt manner
  • azonnalin a prompt manner
Indonesian segera
  • segerain a prompt manner
Norwegian prompt, prompte
  • promptin a prompt manner
  • promptein a prompt manner
Portuguese prontamente
  • prontamentein a prompt manner
Russian немедленно, незамедлительно
  • немедленно (nemedlenno)in a prompt manner
  • незамедлительно (nezamedlitelʹno)in a prompt manner
Spanish inmediatamente, rápidamente
  • inmediatamentein a prompt manner
  • rápidamentein a prompt manner
  • de inmediatoin a prompt manner
  • sin demorain a prompt manner
  • con prontitudin a prompt manner
  • prontamentein a prompt manner
Swedish prompt
  • promptin a prompt manner
Ukrainian негайно, швидко
  • негайно (nehajno)in a prompt manner
  • швидко (švydko)in a prompt manner
  • відразу (vidrazu)in a prompt manner
Cite this entry
APA

promptly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promptly

MLA

“promptly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promptly. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “promptly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promptly.

Source: promptly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.