Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Immediate, happening or done without any delay: Refers to something that occurs or is available at once.
   • Urgent, pressing: Describes something that demands immediate attention or action.
   • (Of food or drink) Prepared or designed for quick and easy preparation: Refers to products that can be made ready for consumption very quickly, often by adding a liquid.
   • (Dated, in correspondence) Of the current month: Used to refer to the present month, often abbreviated as "inst."

2. Noun:

   • A precise moment in time: A very short, specific point in the flow of time.
   • An extremely brief period of time: A moment so short it seems almost instantaneous.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The new app promises instant access to the files. (The app provides immediate access.)
  • There is an instant need for medical supplies in the disaster area. (There is a pressing, urgent need.)
  • She made a cup of instant soup for lunch. (She made soup designed for quick preparation.)
  • Thank you for your letter of the 15th instant. (Thank you for your letter of the 15th of this month.)

• Noun:

  • At that instant, the lights went out. (At that precise moment, the lights failed.)
  • The whole event was over in an instant. (The event concluded in a very brief moment.)

Advanced Usage

• "In an instant": Immediately, without any perceptible delay.
  • The situation changed in an instant.
• "The instant (that)": As soon as; at the exact moment when. Functions as a conjunction.
  • I recognized her the instant she walked in.
• "On the instant": Immediately, at once. (Slightly more formal/literary)
  • He obeyed the order on the instant.

Variants and Related Words

• Instantly (adverb): Immediately, without delay.
  • He replied instantly to the message.
• Instantaneous (adjective): Happening or completed in an instant; immediate.
  • The reaction was almost instantaneous.
• Instantaneity (noun): The quality of being instantaneous.
• Inst. (abbreviation): An abbreviation for "instant" meaning "of the current month," used in formal dating (e.g., "the 5th inst.").

Synonyms

• Adjective (immediate): Immediate, instantaneous, prompt, swift.
• Adjective (urgent): Pressing, exigent, clamant, critical.
• Noun (moment): Moment, second, flash, split second, jiffy.

Related Phrases

• Instant replay: The immediate replay of a televised sequence, especially in sports.
• Instant messaging: A form of real-time text communication over the internet.
• Instant gratification: The desire to experience pleasure or fulfillment without delay.

Idioms

• In the blink of an eye / In a heartbeat: Synonym for "in an instant," emphasizing extreme speed.
  • The car disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye.
• From one instant to the next: Describing a very sudden change.
  • The weather can change from one instant to the next in the mountains.

Adjective

1. demanding attention
   • clamant needs
   • a crying need
   • regarded literary questions as exigent and momentous- H.L.Mencken
   • insistent hunger
   • an instant need
2. in or of the present month
   • your letter of the 10th inst
3. occurring with no delay
   • relief was instantaneous
   • instant gratification

Noun

1. a particular point in time
   • the moment he arrived the party began
2. a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
   • if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash