Prompt
adj.capable, energeticprofessional
What it means
Done with useful speed at the time it is needed or expected.
Reach for it when praising a response that is both timely and appropriately quick
A prompt repair stopped the small leak before it reached the archive.
Choose between these
8- everyday
when a deadline or appointment was met exactly
not when On-time completion can still be slow, reluctant, or unresponsive.
- everyday
when short elapsed time is all the sentence needs
not when Quick work can begin late or sacrifice care.
- professional
when meeting an agreed time is the exact achievement
not when Punctual says nothing about speed after the event begins.
- professional
when reacting appropriately to another person's need is central
not when Responsiveness includes relevance and care, not merely promptness.
- professional
when action arrives at a useful moment
not when A timely response may have taken days if the need was not urgent.
- formal
when efficient handling without needless delay suits official prose
not when The word sounds bureaucratic in a card or everyday recommendation.
- formal
immediate
when there is effectively no delay
not when It is stronger than prompt and may promise an impossible response time.
- literary
when speed deserves vivid concise emphasis
not when It can suggest motion or urgency that a routine timely reply lacks.
Said against
3- delayed
- late
- tardy
It naturally appears in
3- prompt response
Your prompt response gave the venue time to arrange an accessible entrance.
- prompt action
Prompt action kept the faulty heater from damaging the pipes.
- prompt payment
Prompt payment allowed the small supplier to restock before the festival.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: performed readily or immediately opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.