immediate

immediate — adjective

1. taking place or carried out right away, with no time lost between the event and

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

taking place or carried out right away, with no time lost between the event and the action.

Example

Tariq's immediate reaction was to pull his little brother away from the hot stove.

immediate reaction describes instant, unthinking action

The shelter manager called for an immediate donation of blankets after the earthquake.

immediate + noun (donation / response / decision) in urgent contexts

Common collocations
  • immediate response
  • immediate action
  • immediate decision
  • immediate effect
Synonyms
  • instant

    even faster — suggests no detectable delay at all

  • prompt

    done quickly and efficiently but may allow a short, reasonable wait

  • swift

    emphasises speed of the action itself rather than the absence of delay

Antonyms
  • delayed

    happening later than planned or expected

  • gradual

    taking place slowly over a period of time

Grammar Patterns

immediate + noun (response / reaction / action / decision)

Usage Note

Often found in formal announcements, warnings, and instructions. Commonly paired with nouns like 'response', 'action', 'decision', or 'effect'.

Common Mistakes

The doctor gave an instant treatment.
The doctor gave immediate treatment.
'Instant' suggests zero time (like instant coffee); 'immediate' means very quickly but allows a brief interval.
She needs an immediate water.
She needs water immediately.
'Immediate' is an adjective and must modify a noun; use the adverb 'immediately' after a verb.

2. directly connected to a situation or person as its cause, result, or main concer

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

directly connected to a situation or person as its cause, result, or main concern, with nothing else in the middle.

Example

The immediate cause of the power cut was a fallen tree on the main cable.

immediate cause — the nearest direct reason for something

Dahlia's immediate concern was whether her elderly father had food for the week.

immediate concern — the most urgent worry without intervening factors

Common collocations
  • immediate cause
  • immediate effect
  • immediate impact
  • immediate concern
Synonyms
  • direct

    the most common alternative; slightly less formal and works in more contexts

  • primary

    foregrounds importance rather than closeness in the chain

  • proximate

    formal term for the nearest cause in a sequence

Antonyms
  • indirect

    with other factors in between

  • remote

    far removed in the chain of cause and effect

Grammar Patterns

immediate + noun (cause / effect / impact / concern)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 — this sense emphasises a direct causal or relational link (proximity in cause/effect), not speed. The subject is typically an event, policy, or situation, not a person's action.

Common Mistakes

The immediate cause of her arriving late was the traffic.
The direct cause of her arriving late was the traffic.
'Immediate cause' is best for a chain where nothing intervenes; 'direct cause' can be used more broadly.

3. relating to what needs attention right now or in the very next step, rather than

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to what needs attention right now or in the very next step, rather than in the distant future.

Example

Ryo's immediate plan after graduation was to find a job that paid the rent.

immediate plan — the first step, not the long-term goal

Yael put aside thoughts of a dream home and focused on the immediate need for a safe place to sleep.

immediate need — what must be dealt with right now

Common collocations
  • immediate need
  • immediate concern
  • immediate plan
  • immediate priority
Synonyms
  • current

    simply means 'now' without the urgency that 'immediate' carries

  • urgent

    stresses that something cannot wait; stronger than 'immediate'

  • pressing

    formal, suggests strong pressure to act

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

immediate + noun (need / concern / plan / problem)

Usage Note

Commonly modifies nouns like 'need', 'concern', 'plan', 'problem', and 'priority'. Often contrasts with 'long-term' or 'future' goals in the same sentence.

4. occurring right before or right after a particular person, object, or event in a

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

occurring right before or right after a particular person, object, or event in an ordered sequence.

Example

Sivan's immediate predecessor as team leader had left very detailed instructions.

immediate predecessor — the person directly before in a sequence

The grocery store in the immediate vicinity of the station stays open until midnight.

immediate vicinity — the area directly surrounding a place

Common collocations
  • immediate predecessor
  • immediate successor
  • immediate superior
  • immediate vicinity
Synonyms
  • next

    simpler and more common for sequential order

  • nearest

    focuses on physical or positional closeness

  • adjacent

    emphasises direct contact without anything in between

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

immediate + noun (predecessor / successor / vicinity)

Usage Note

Typically used before nouns that mark a position in a sequence: predecessor, successor, superior, vicinity. 'Immediate superior' means the person directly above you in a hierarchy, even if their office is not physically close.

Common Mistakes

My immediate friend lives next door.
My next-door neighbour lives next door.
'Immediate' is not used for physical neighbours in everyday English, only for hierarchical or sequence positions.

5. linked by the closest family bond, such as between parents, children, siblings,

5.adjectiveB1
Definition

linked by the closest family bond, such as between parents, children, siblings, or a spouse.

Example

Michael's immediate family flew in from three different cities for his wedding.

immediate family — parents, siblings, spouse, children

Only immediate relatives were allowed into the hospital room after the surgery.

immediate relatives — official/medical restriction context

Common collocations
  • immediate family
  • immediate relative
Synonyms
  • close (family)

    less formal; can include relatives who are not strictly immediate but emotionally close

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

immediate family / immediate relative

Usage Note

Almost always used before 'family' or 'relative(s)'. In legal and official contexts the exact definition can vary, but it generally excludes cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.

Common Mistakes

My immediate family includes my cousin Anna.
My immediate family includes my parents, my sister, and my brother.
Cousins, aunts, and uncles are extended family, not immediate family.

6. the stretch of time starting now and lasting for a short while ahead, typically

6.adjectiveB1
Definition

the stretch of time starting now and lasting for a short while ahead, typically weeks or months rather than years.

Example

The company's immediate future depends on whether it can find a new investor this quarter.

the immediate future — the next weeks/months, not years

Dylan decided not to move abroad in the immediate future because his mother needed help at home.

Common collocations
  • the immediate future
  • in the immediate future
Synonyms
  • near (future)

    more general; 'immediate' sounds closer than 'near'

  • short-term

    emphasises a limited duration rather than closeness from now

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the immediate future

Usage Note

Almost exclusively used in the phrase 'the immediate future' (often preceded by 'in'). Unlike sense 3, which focuses on urgent needs, this sense simply names the coming time period without implying urgency.

Common Mistakes

In the immediate past, we had good weather.
Recently, we had good weather.
'Immediate past' is not a natural English phrase; use 'recent' or 'recently' instead.
Idioms

with immediate effect

idiom

Starting from this moment, without any delay.

The new rules will apply with immediate effect from today.

Did the manager announce the changes with immediate effect?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe speed, but they highlight different aspects. 'Instant' suggests zero measurable delay — something happens in a single moment, like an instant message arriving on your phone. 'Prompt' emphasises efficiency and meeting an expected time frame; a prompt reply arrives soon after the message, though not necessarily within seconds. 'Swift' draws attention to the smooth, rapid movement of an action — a swift rescue implies well-coordinated speed rather than the absence of any pause. For most everyday situations where speed matters but a tiny gap is acceptable, 'immediate' fits naturally: 'the ambulance arrived within minutes' is an immediate response, while 'the ambulance arrived before the caller hung up' would be nearly instant. Choose 'prompt' when politeness and reliability matter more than raw speed, and 'swift' when describing a process that moves efficiently from start to finish.

instant ↗prompt ↗swift ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • almost immediate
  • nearly immediate
  • virtually immediate

Phrases

  • in the immediate future
  • immediate family members
  • immediate vicinity of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'immediatus', made up of 'in-' (not) and 'mediatus' (in the middle, intervening). The original sense was 'having nothing in between' — a direct spatial or logical connection. English borrowed it from French 'immediat' in the late 1500s, and by the 1600s writers had extended it from space to time, giving us the meaning 'without delay' that is most common today.