Prompt
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.
Words to choose between 8
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
Fits when a deadline or appointment was met exactly
Careful On-time completion can still be slow, reluctant, or unresponsive.
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everyday
Fits when short elapsed time is all the sentence needs
Careful Quick work can begin late or sacrifice care.
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professional
Fits when meeting an agreed time is the exact achievement
Careful Punctual says nothing about speed after the event begins.
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professional
Fits when reacting appropriately to another person's need is central
Careful Responsiveness includes relevance and care, not merely promptness.
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professional
Fits when action arrives at a useful moment
Careful A timely response may have taken days if the need was not urgent.
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formal
Fits when efficient handling without needless delay suits official prose
Careful The word sounds bureaucratic in a card or everyday recommendation.
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formal
immediate
Fits when there is effectively no delay
Careful It is stronger than prompt and may promise an impossible response time.
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literary
Fits when speed deserves vivid concise emphasis
Careful It can suggest motion or urgency that a routine timely reply lacks.
Opposites 3
- delayed
- late
- tardy
Common phrases 3
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prompt response
Your prompt response gave the venue time to arrange an accessible entrance.
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prompt action
Prompt action kept the faulty heater from damaging the pipes.
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prompt payment
Prompt payment allowed the small supplier to restock before the festival.
Word family 1
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Wodencafe, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated