Word Meanings - DIRECTLY - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. In a direct manner; in a straight line or course. "To run directly on." Shak. Indirectly and directly too Thou hast contrived against the very life Of the defendant. Shak. 2. In a straightforward way; without anything intervening;

Additional info about word: DIRECTLY

1. In a direct manner; in a straight line or course. "To run directly on." Shak. Indirectly and directly too Thou hast contrived against the very life Of the defendant. Shak. 2. In a straightforward way; without anything intervening; not by secondary, but by direct, means. 3. Without circumlocution or ambiguity; absolutely; in express terms. No man hath hitherto been so impious as plainly and directly to condemn prayer. Hooker. 4. Exactly; just. Stand you directly in Antonius' way. Shak. 5. Straightforwardly; honestly. I have dealt most directly in thy affair. Shak. 6. Manifestly; openly. Desdemona is directly in love with him. Shak. 7. Straightway; next in order; without delay; immediately. "Will she go now to bed' Directly.'" Shak. 8. Immediately after; as soon as. Directly he stopped, the coffin was removed. Dickens. Note: This use of the word is common in England, especially in colloquial speech, but it can hardly be regarded as a well-sanctioned or desirable use. Directly proportional , proportional in the order of the terms; increasing or decreasing together, and with a constant ratio; -- opposed to inversely proportional. Syn. -- Immediately; forthwith; straightway; instantly; instantaneously; soon; promptly; openly; expressly. -- Directly, Immediately, Instantly, Instantaneously. Directly denotes, without any delay or diversion of attention; immediately implies, without any interposition of other occupation; instantly implies, without any intervention of time. Hence, "I will do it directly," means, "I will go straightway about it." "I will do it immediately," means, "I will do it as the very next thing." "I will do it instantly," allows not a particle of delay. Instantaneously, like instantly, marks an interval too small to be appreciable, but commonly relates to physical causes; as, the powder touched by fire instantaneously exploded.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of DIRECTLY)

• Forthwith
• Immediately
• instantly
• directly
• instantaneously
• Without delay
• forthwith
• presently
• straightway

Related words: (words related to DIRECTLY)

• PRESENTLY
  1. At present; at this time; now. The towns and forts you presently have. Sir P. Sidney. 2. At once; without delay; forthwith; also, less definitely, soon; shortly; before long; after a little while; by and by. Shak. And presently the fig tree
• INSTANTLY
  1. Without the least delay or interval; at once; immediately. Macaulay. 2. With urgency or importunity; earnestly; pressingly. "They besought him instantly." Luke vii. 4. Syn. -- Directly; immediately; at once. See Directly.
• WITHOUT-DOOR
  Outdoor; exterior. "Her without-door form." Shak.
• STRAIGHTWAY
  Immediately; without loss of time; without delay. He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi. . . . And straightway the damsel arose. Mark v. 41,42.
• WITHOUTFORTH
  Without; outside' outwardly. Cf. Withinforth. Chaucer.
• STRAIGHTWAYS
  Straightway.
• FORTHWITH
  As soon as the thing required may be done by reasonable exertion confined to that object. Bouvier. (more info) 1. Immediately; without delay; directly. Immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight forthwith.
• IMMEDIATELY
  1. In an immediate manner; without intervention of any other person or thing; proximately; directly; -- opposed to mediately; as, immediately contiguous. God's acceptance of it either immediately by himself, or mediately by the hands of the bishop.
• WITHOUTEN
  Without. Chaucer.
• DELAY
  A putting off or deferring; procrastination; lingering inactivity; stop; detention; hindrance. Without any delay, on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat. Acts xxv. 17. The government ought to be settled without the delay of a day. Macaulay. (more
• WITHOUT
  1. On or at the outside of; out of; not within; as, without doors. Without the gate Some drive the cars, and some the coursers rein. Dryden. 2. Out of the limits of; out of reach of; beyond. Eternity, before the world and after, is without our
• DIRECTLY
  1. In a direct manner; in a straight line or course. "To run directly on." Shak. Indirectly and directly too Thou hast contrived against the very life Of the defendant. Shak. 2. In a straightforward way; without anything intervening;
• DELAYER
  One who delays; one who lingers.
• DELAYINGLY
  By delays. Tennyson.
• DELAYMENT
  Hindrance. Gower.
• UNDIRECTLY
  Indirectly. Strype.
• ROUNDELAY
  See ROUNDEL
• INDIRECTLY
  In an direct manner; not in a straight line or course; not in express terms; obliquely; not by direct means; hence, unfairly; wrongly. To tax it indirectly by taxing their expense. A. Smith. Your crown and kingdom indirectly held. Shak.