briefly

adverb

brief·​ly ˈbrē-flē 

1

a

: in a brief way

briefly mentioned

b

: in brief

the food, briefly, was awful

2

: for a short time

briefly married

Synonyms

• compactly
• concisely
• crisply
• curtly
• elliptically
• laconically
• pithily
• shortly
• succinctly
• summarily
• tersely

Examples of briefly in a Sentence

Several important issues are only briefly mentioned.

Please briefly describe your experience.

We briefly considered canceling the trip.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump briefly spoke to reporters Wednesday during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office. —Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 23 Apr. 2025

Vance briefly met with Francis on Sunday during a trip to Rome and the Vatican. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 23 Apr. 2025

And, shortly after the new administration arrived in town, the Air Force reportedly briefly removed training material with videos of Tuskegee airmen, Black World War II heroes. —Dan Alexander, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

The British royals briefly greeted onlookers after attending an Easter service at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England, an important fixture in the 76-year-old monarch's calendar as Charles serves as supreme governor of the Church of England. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for briefly

• chiefly