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Meaning of directly in English

directly
adverb
us
/dɪˈrekt.li/ uk
/daɪˈrekt.li/ /dɪˈrekt.li/

directly adverb (STRAIGHT)

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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.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Closeness in distance and time
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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."
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Blunt and direct in speech & behavior
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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.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
In the future & soon
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

directly
conjunction
UK
us
/dɪˈrekt.li/ uk
/daɪˈrekt.li/ /dɪˈrekt.li/
formal
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.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Serious and unpleasant
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

(Definition of directly from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

directly | Intermediate English

directly
adverb [ not gradable ]
us
/dəˈrek·tli, dɑɪ-/

directly adverb [not gradable] (SOON)

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very soon or immediately:
Dr. Schwartz will be with you directly.

directly adverb [not gradable] (STRAIGHT)

without anything coming in between:
He went directly home (= without stopping anywhere first).
(Definition of directly from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of directly

directly
I don't know if that was from up top or if that was (just the referee) directly saying it to me.
From New York Daily News
The manufacturer states that it will not harm vegetation if it is not sprayed directly on it.
From Chicago Daily Herald
Those who moved directly from school to work reported a generally smooth transition.
From The Atlantic
Yet her sister thinks the right to vote directly should probably come first.
From Voice of America
Maybe not directly, personally to them, but it draws attention to their behavior.
From ABC News
Show how your idea is in their interests, either directly or through an exchange you offer.
From Fast Company
The amount of lithium ions inside the battery directly affects how long your phone can last on a charge.
From TIME
Americans expect their president to be short, spot-on, and directly to the point.
From Washington Post
There, they were joined by substantial amounts of water that were discharged from the reactors directly into the ocean.
From Ars Technica
For me, that first view was like looking directly in the face of pure evil.
From The Star-Ledger - NJ.com
Call the hotel directly if you find a deal on another site, since a growing number have rate guarantees.
From TIME
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of directly?
 

Translations of directly

in Chinese (Traditional)
直接的, 直接地, 坦率地…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
直接的, 直接地, 坦率地…
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in Spanish
directamente, sin rodeos, de inmediato…
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in Portuguese
diretamente, imediatamente, direto…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
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in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Telugu
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
इतर काहीही सामील न करता, थेट, स्पष्टपणे बोलणारा…
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直接（に）, 単刀直入に, すぐに…
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aracısız, dosdoğru, doğrudan…
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directement, juste, franchement…
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directament, sense embuts, de seguida…
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rechtstreeks, aanstonds…
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வேறு எதுவும் ஈடுபடாமல் அல்லது இடையில் இல்லாமல், நேர்மையாக, இது மக்களுக்கு அசௌகரியத்தை ஏற்படுத்தக்கூடும் என்றாலும் கூட…
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ठीक, सीधे-सीधे, सीधे…
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સીધું જ, સીધા, સ્પષ્ટપણે…
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direkte, lige, med det samme…
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direkt, omedelbart, genast…
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tepat, lurus…
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direkt, sofort…
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direkte, rett, straks…
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سیدھے, راست, براہ راست…
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безпосередньо, прямо, негайно…
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నేరుగా, ఎలాంటి ప్రమేయం లేకుండా, డైరెక్ట్ గా…
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সরাসরিভাবে, সরাসরি, সোজাসুজি কথা বলা…
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rovnou, přímo, okamžitě…
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langsung, seketika…
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โดยตรง, อย่างตรงไปตรงมา, ทันทีทันใด…
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trực tiếp, ngay lập tức…
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bezpośrednio, wprost, zaraz…
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직접, 똑바로, 솔직하게…
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direttamente, francamente, in modo diretto…
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directionless
directions phrase
directive
directly
directness
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