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# instantaneous

adjective (instantaneous); adverb «instantaneously»

«instantaneous» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Happening immediately, with no delay at all. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#m1)
2. (science) At one exact instant of time: instantaneous speed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science, light from a nearby lamp seems to arrive instantaneously (it's very fast but not truly instant); in maths and physics, instantaneous speed is the speed at a single moment, like a speedometer reading, compared with average speed over a journey. In everyday life, messages and reactions can be instantaneous. Phrases: instantaneous reaction, almost instantaneous, instantaneous speed.

### Examples

- The reaction was instantaneous: the mixture fizzed straight away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#x1)
- Text messages arrive almost instantaneously. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#x2)
- The speedometer shows your instantaneous speed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#x3)
- When you flick the switch, the light seems instantaneous. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#x4)
- Her answer was instantaneous; she didn't need to think. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#x5)
- Death of the cells was instantaneous in the boiling water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#x6)
- It was impossible to tell, the shock was so instantaneous. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/#x7)

### Note

Spelling: in-stan-ta-ne-ous. Similar: «instant», «immediate». In science, average speed = distance ÷ time; instantaneous speed is the speed at one moment, which can be different.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «instantaneous» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/instantaneous/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«instantaneous» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/instantaneous.html) on Mova free.