Meaning

In a direct manner; in a straight line or course..

Definitions by Sense

1. In a direct manner; in a straight line or course.
2. In a straightforward way; without anything intervening; not by secondary but by direct means.
3. Plainly, without circumlocution or ambiguity; absolutely; in express terms.
4. Exactly; just; at the shortest possible distance.
5. Straightforwardly; honestly.
6. (dated) Immediately.
7. (chiefly dated or dialect, including Midlands, Cornwall, Southern US) Soon; next; in due time; as soon as it becomes convenient.
8. (chiefly British) As soon as; immediately (elliptical for directly that/as/when)

Example Sentences

He drove directly to the office, and didn't stop off at the petrol station.

On arriving at the doors, and entering a long, capacious passage, our eyes became quite dazzled by the gleams of colored light which shone upon them, both directly and reflectedly.

It is more difficult to directly compare train operations and maintenance, given how fragmented the non-infrastructure segments of the industry are today.

I'm sick of asking you to fire him; I'll just do it directly.

I'm going to tell Natalie directly that I love her.

To put it more directly: he's not 'made redundant' but sacked.

"Mujtahidd" has attracted almost 300,000 followers since the end of last year, when he began posting scandalous claims about the Saudi elite. In one tweet, Mujtahidd directly challenged Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd about his political history: "Did you resign or were you forced to resign from your post as head of the diwan [office] of the council of ministers?"

It's directly across the street.

Word Forms

• more directly
• most directly

Synonyms for directly

Antonyms for directly

Related Words

When Should You Use Directly?

Use directly when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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