Word
presently
Phoneticspresent·ly
US/ˈpɹɛzəntɫi/
UK/pɹˈɛzəntlˌi/
Adverb of time
Definitions
01soon
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adv. in a short time; soon.
adv. in a short time; after a brief interval. This is the standard modern sense in both British and American English.
“The doctor is busy right now, but she will be with you presently.”
“The rain began to subside, and presently the sun broke through the clouds, illuminating the valley below.”
Antonyms
02now
C1 · Advanced Formal · American English
adv. at the current time.
adv. at the present time; currently. While common in North American business contexts, some style guides traditionally discouraged this use in favour of 'currently'.
“He is presently working as a consultant for a firm in London.”
“The director is presently engaged in a meeting and cannot be disturbed until the afternoon session concludes.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03immediately
C2 · Proficiency Archaic · British English
adv. right away or at once.
adv. immediately; at once. This sense is largely restricted to historical literature and is no longer used in contemporary speech.
“The king ordered the guards to bring the prisoner presently to the court.”
“In the nineteenth-century novel, the protagonist was told to depart presently if he wished to catch the final carriage.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “presently” in context.
Verb
01. presently use
“We presently use a cloud-based system to manage our international client database.”
adv + verb
Real-World Examples
“However, the land parcel in question was never allotted or settled in the names of the persons who are presently protesting against the project," he said.” “It is important to bear in mind that necrotizing fasciitis presently remains very rare .” Etymology
From Middle English presently; equivalent to present + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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