momentarily
Contents
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
AdverbEdit
momentarily (not comparable)
- In a momentary manner; for a moment or instant.
- (US, proscribed) In a moment or very soon; at any moment.
-
This plane will be landing at Idlewild Airport momentarily.
-
- Progressively; moment by moment.
Usage notesEdit
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”.
SynonymsEdit
- (in a moment): presently, shortly, soon
- (for a moment): briefly
- (moment by moment): progressively
TranslationsEdit
In a momentary manner
In a moment or very soon
|
|
progressively; moment by moment
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “Just a Moment”, by William Safire, New York Times, May 11, 1997
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 I Stand Corrected: More on Language, by William Safire pp. 137–138
- ^ On language, by William Safire, 1980, p. 9