immediacy

noun

im·​me·​di·​a·​cy i-ˈmē-dē-ə-sē 

 British often  -ˈmē-jə-sē

plural immediacies

1

: the quality or state of being immediate

2

: something that is immediate

—usually used in plural

Synonyms

• adjacency
• closeness
• contiguity
• nearness
• propinquity
• proximity
• vicinity

Examples of immediacy in a Sentence

Television coverage gave the war greater immediacy than it had ever before had.

There is an immediacy to watching a live performance that you cannot get from hearing a recording.

Recent Examples on the Web

Weegee’s most successful photographs captured events like fires, car crashes, crime scenes, and their aftermath; the value of the pictures relied on their immediacy and sensationalism. —Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025

Much of that selection shares a sense of immediacy — with the 64 films slotted for Clermont-Ferrand’s international competition speaking to an unsteady world in as close to real-time as filmmaking can get. —Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025

In later years, the housing option may have more immediacy in dealing with frailty and need for long-term care. —Steve Parrish, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

Something about the connectivity and immediacy of these old live performances resonates with me in our disconnected age. —Vox Staff, Vox, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

immediacy

noun

im·​me·​di·​a·​cy im-ˈēd-ē-ə-sē 

plural immediacies

1

: the quality or state of being immediate

2

: something that is of immediate importance

immediacies of daily life