timely

timely — adjective

1. done or happening when the moment is most suitable, so that the result is as goo

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

done or happening when the moment is most suitable, so that the result is as good as possible for the situation

Example

The government's timely decision to lower taxes helped many small businesses survive the recession.

timely + noun: decision, warning, intervention

As the storm approached the coast, Tamar received a timely warning from the weather office.

Common collocations
  • timely decision
  • timely warning
  • timely intervention
  • timely reminder
  • timely arrival
Synonyms
  • opportune

    more formal and literary; implies a favourable coincidence of events

  • well-timed

    less formal; focuses on the skill of choosing the right moment

  • convenient

    broader; emphasises ease or suitability rather than optimal timing

Antonyms
  • untimely

    happening at a bad or unsuitable moment

Usage Note

Commonly used attributively before nouns such as decision, warning, reminder, intervention, and arrival. Can also appear predicatively ('The warning was timely').

Common Mistakes

We arrived timely at the airport.
We arrived at the airport in time.
'timely' as an adjective describes the event, not the action; use 'in time' or 'on time' for punctuality.

2. sent, paid, or completed within the time that a rule, contract, or law allows, s

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

sent, paid, or completed within the time that a rule, contract, or law allows, so that no penalty is charged

Example

The insurance company rejected the claim because it was not filed in a timely manner.

collocation: in a timely manner

Lara reminded the accounting team that timely payments are essential for maintaining good credit.

Common collocations
  • timely payment
  • timely filing
  • timely reporting
  • timely submission
  • timely response
Synonyms
  • prompt

    emphasises speed and immediate action, not just deadline compliance

  • punctual

    focuses on exact scheduled time rather than a window

  • due

    narrower — refers only to the expected time of arrival or payment

Antonyms
  • overdue

    past the allowed or expected time

  • late

    general term for being after the deadline

Usage Note

Most often appears in the fixed expressions 'in a timely manner' and 'in a timely fashion'. This sense is more formal and legal-administrative than sense 1.

Common Mistakes

He completed the work on a timely basis.
He completed the work in a timely manner.
The standard collocations are 'in a timely manner' and 'in a timely fashion', not 'on a timely basis'.

timely — adverb

Word family

  • timeliness
    nounC1
  • untimely
    adjectiveC1
  • untimely
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Timely is the most general and widely used word — it describes an event that happens at a suitable moment for the situation. Opportune is more formal and often implies that the timing was deliberately chosen or that the circumstances were especially favourable (e.g., 'an opportune moment to negotiate'). Well-timed is less formal than timely and focuses on the precision of the timing itself rather than the outcome (e.g., 'a well-timed joke lightened the mood'). Seasonable is an older, more literary word that originally meant 'appropriate to the season' and now can suggest timeliness in formal writing (e.g., 'seasonable advice for the new board members'). For everyday use, timely is the safest choice; for casual contexts, choose well-timed; for formal or strategic contexts, opportune fits best.

timely ↗opportunewell-timedseasonable

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in a timely manner
  • in a timely fashion

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Timely comes from Old English 'timlīc', a combination of 'tima' (a space of time, a period) and the suffix '-līc' (having the form or quality of). In Old English it simply meant 'of or relating to time'. By the late Middle English period (1400s), the meaning shifted to 'happening at the proper or suitable time' — the sense still used today. The adverb form emerged from the same root.