Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
momentarily. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
momentarily, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
momentarily in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
momentarily you have here. The definition of the word
momentarily will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
momentarily, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From momentary + -ly.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈməʊməntəɹəli/, /məʊmənˈtɛɹəli/
Adverb
momentarily (not comparable)
- (manner) In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
2010 December 23, Phillip Roth, “Prologue”, in The Great American Novel, →ISBN, page 21:I imagined momentarily that it was four score and seven years ago, that I had just been brought forth from my mother […]
2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:The numbers thin out the further we get from London, so I don't feel guilty when I remove my mask momentarily to scoff some of the snacks I'd bought at Marylebone.
- (US, proscribed, duration) In a moment or very soon; any minute now, any time now.
This plane will be landing at Idlewild Airport momentarily.
1880, Lew Wallace, chapter 3, in Ben-Hur, a Tale of the Christ:He told me, further, that the second coming was at hand--was looked for momentarily in Jerusalem.
- Progressively; moment by moment.
Usage notes
Many speakers object to the use of momentarily in the sense of “in a moment” rather than “for a moment”, since this is inconsistent with the meaning of momentary;[1][2] nonetheless, this use is quite common in North America, and is particularly associated with airlines, such as “we will be landing momentarily”.[3][1][2] In place of momentarily, many speakers prefer the terms presently, soon[1][2] or the phrase “in a moment”,[2] for this sense of “in a moment”.
Synonyms
Translations
References