momentarily
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈməʊməntəɹəli/, /məʊmənˈtɛɹəli/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
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
- (in a moment): presently, shortly, soon; see also Thesaurus:soon
- (for a moment): briefly, temporarily; see also Thesaurus:temporarily
- (moment by moment): incrementally, progressively, step by step; see also Thesaurus:gradually
Translations
In a momentary manner
In a moment or very soon
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References
- “Just a Moment”, by William Safire, New York Times, May 11, 1997
- I Stand Corrected: More on Language, by William Safire pp. 137–138
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