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straightway

straightway

6.6
Immediately without any delay
  • adverb
  • /ˈstreɪtˌweɪ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : inmediatamente
  • He straightway accepted the invitation to join the team for the project.

If you're angry, he says we straightway give place to the devil in our hearts.

Examples

  • If you're angry, he says we straightway give place to the devil in our hearts.

  • "This I straightway refused."

    Fiction book (1995)
  • He made these things all right, and then my timepiece performed unexceptionably, save that now and then, after working along quietly for nearly eight hours, everything inside would let go all of a sudden and begin to buzz like a bee, and the hands would straightway begin to spin round and round so fast that their individuality was lost completely, and they simply seemed like a delicate spider's web over the face of the watch.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • When the alarm rang, she straightway jumped out of bed and got ready for work.

  • As soon as the fire alarm went off, everyone straightway evacuated the building.

Synonyms

immediately
vsstraightway
1.0

At once without waiting

is equally immediate but less clinical in tone
right away
vsstraightway
960 1.0

Without any delay

expresses the same promptness but in older phrasing
at once
vsstraightway
344 1.0

Immediately without delay

is the same immediacy but often feels more old fashioned
instantly
vsstraightway
330 1.0

Right away without any delay

conveys the same quickness but in plainer language
directly
vsstraightway
163 1.0

Do something at once without delay

shares immediacy but sounds more traditional
promptly
vsstraightway
98 2.1

Without delay or at the planned time

focuses only on instant action rather than schedule
in a heartbeat
vsstraightway
  • Informal
50 3.2

Right away without any hesitation

is immediate too but normally in plainer speech
on the double
vsstraightway
  • Informal
27 3.7

Very quickly and without delay

is immediate too but with less urgent imagery
instantaneously
vsstraightway
25 5.6

Happen at once without delay

means immediate action but with simpler style
in short order
vsstraightway
13 3.5

Very quickly without delay

is immediate right away rather than slightly delayed
all at once
vsstraightway
13 3.0

Happening suddenly and without warning

means immediate action but not the sudden, surprising sense
expeditiously
vsstraightway
11 7.3

In a quick and efficient way

emphasizes speed alone rather than efficiency of doing it
straight off
vsstraightway
8 3.0

Immediately without delay

is similar immediacy but tends to be more dated
straightaway
vsstraightway
7 3.2

Without delay after something happens

is similar but carries a slightly older tone
speedily
vsstraightway
6 2.4

To act quickly without delay

focuses strictly on immediate timing without process
like a shot
vsstraightway
  • Informal
4 6.0

Very quickly and without hesitation

shares speed but lacks the energetic, vivid tone
without missing a beat
vsstraightway
  • Informal
3 5.5

To act immediately and confidently without pausing

is immediate too but without the confident smoothness
nothing flat
vsstraightway
  • Informal
1 8.5

Very quickly without delay

is immediate but usually without the colloquial punch

Antonyms

3.0

After a long time

1.0

Happening after something else in time

How Immediate

straightway
  • Archaic
6.6
promptly
98 2.1
shortly
6 1.5
soon
1.0

Surface Forms

straightway positive

Etymology

The word straightway is easy to remember: it joins straight ('direct') and way ('path'), so it originally meant moving by a direct route. That's why straightway means 'immediately', as if you go straight on with no delay.