instant reply
- noun
:
respuesta instantánea
- The customer service chatbot provided an instant reply, addressing my issue right away.
Examples
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"Of course not, Your Majesty," came the instant reply from Lord Viridis.
Fiction book (1993) -
When you send an email, you often expect an instant reply from your colleagues.
-
In the world of social media, users appreciate an instant reply to their comments or questions.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A spoken, written, or shown reply to a question
∞
1.0
A written or spoken answer to a question
47
3.7
A quick witty or critical reply to a remark
4
7.7
A quick clever reply that answers and often criticizes someone
2
8.3
A quick clever reply to a remark or criticism
1
3.6
A fast, clever reply to a remark or insult
A very quick answer to a question given without thinking, often one after another
A quick, clever reply that surprises others
How Immediate
251
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a reply given without delay' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'instant' (immediate) and 'reply' (answer). This adjective+noun composition follows a standard compositional pattern present across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Instant reply comes from the idea of instant meaning 'happening at once' and reply meaning 'an answer'. Imagine you send a message and the answer comes back right away; that's why the phrase means 'a reply given without delay'.