directlyadverb
uk/daɪˈrekt.li//dɪˈrekt.li/us/daɪˈrekt.li//dɪˈrekt.li/directly adverb (STRAIGHT)
B1 without anything else being involved or in between:
Our hotel room was directly above a construction site.
The disease is directly linked to poor drainage systems.
The sun shone directly in my eyes.
More examples
- A narrow passage led directly through the house into the garden.
- You will report directly to the boss.
- The drug works more quickly if it is injected directly into the bloodstream.
- She wrote directly to the company manager and persuaded him to give her a job.
- There's a track that leads directly to the reservoir.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Closeness in distance and time
- a few/couple of steps idiom
- a hair's breadth idiom
- a stone's throw idiom
- ace
- anywhere
- anywhere near idiom
- face-to-face
- float around
- hand to hand idiom
- hard by
- here
- proximity
- roof
- round the corner idiom
- shadow
- shout
- step
- stick together
- towards
- under the same roof idiom
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directly adverb (HONEST)
B2 honestly, even when it might make people feel uncomfortable:
Let me answer that question directly.
"Did you tell him to go?" "Not directly, no."
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Blunt and direct in speech & behaviour
- abrupt
- baldly
- blunt
- bluntly
- brusque
- brutal
- forward
- frank
- in the raw idiom
- man-to-man
- mince
- not mince (your) words idiom
- not pull any/your punches idiom
- raw
- shoot from the hip idiom
- straight
- term
- terse
- unvarnished
- woman-to-woman
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directly adverb (SOON)
old-fashioned or formal very soon:
Dr Schwarz will be with you directly.
old-fashioned immediately:
When you get home you're going directly to bed.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
In the future & soon
- a matter/question of time idiom
- ahead
- all in good time idiom
- anon
- ASAP
- come
- in the fullness of time idiom
- in the long run idiom
- in the short run idiom
- in two shakes (of a lamb's tail) idiom
- later
- long
- long-range
- sometime
- soon
- sooner or later idiom
- the days/week(s)/year(s) to come idiom
- then
- tomorrow
- yet
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Immediately
directlyconjunction
uk/daɪˈrekt.li//dɪˈrekt.li/us/daɪˈrekt.li//dɪˈrekt.li/UKformal immediately after:
Directly he was paid, he went out shopping.
formal as soon as:
I'll be with you directly I've finished this letter.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Serious and unpleasant
- abominable
- abysmal
- apocalyptic
- appalling
- awfully
- belief
- corrosive
- grisly
- grotesque
- gruesome
- hate
- hateful
- noxious
- revolting
- rotten
- shitty
- shocking
- shockingly
- stinking
- wretched
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Simultaneous and consecutive