What is the difference between instantly and instantaneously

Origins of the Specious. Words Fail Me. Woe Is I Jr. You Send Me. Help support Grammarphobia. Search the blog. It only takes a minute to sign up.

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Is there a case in which "instantaneously" can be used in which "instantly" cannot?

If not, why does the former exist? If so, what are the circumstances dictating that usage? According to this post on the Grammarist , there is a difference between the two.

They write:. Instantly means at once or immediately. Instantaneously means happening so soon in relation to something else that no delay is perceptible. The difference between these adverbs is subtle, and there is plenty of gray area between them, but careful writers keep them separate. Instantly is synonymous with immediately , but instantaneously is closer to with little delay. They give the following examples of each:. Buzz delays them for hours.

Kids Definition of instantaneous. Other Words from instantaneous instantaneously adverb. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Test your vocabulary with our question quiz! Love words? Need even more definitions? Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms The same, but different.

Ask the Editors 'Everyday' vs. What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'? Part of speech One difference between these two words is that instant can be either a noun or an adjective, and instantaneous is always an adjective. It is used mostly to describe things that happen in concrete, academic, or scientific contexts, in expressions such as: instantaneous results instantaneous feedback instantaneous changes I hope this helps.

Vocabulary Quiz. Take the Quiz ». Name That Thing. Take our visual quiz.