directly
[adverb]
Synonyms:
- straight, by the shortest route, exactly, in a beeline, precisely, unswervingly, without deviation
- honestly, openly, plainly, point-blank, straightforwardly, truthfully, unequivocally
- at once, as soon as possible, forthwith, immediately, promptly, right away, straightaway

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Antonyms: indirectly
Contrasted words: circuitously, deviously, round about, discursively, ramblingly
Related Idioms: as the crow flies, in a beeline

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English Thesaurus: exactly, precisely, just, right, directly, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. di‧rect‧ly¹ S2 W2 /dəˈrektli, dɪˈrektli, daɪ-/ adverb
[Word Family: noun: direction, directness, director; verb: direct, redirect; adverb: directly ≠ indirectly; adjective: direct ≠ indirect]

1. with no other person, action, process etc between Antonym : indirectly:
The new property tax law won’t directly affect us.
We hope to bring together the countries directly involved in the conflict.
directly to/from
Application for admission to this course should be made directly to the University.

2. exactly in a particular position or direction Synonym : right
directly in front of/behind/under etc something
It was a small house, directly behind the church.
The girl was sitting directly opposite him.
Have you noticed how he never looks directly at you?

3. speak/ask/answer etc directly to say exactly what you mean without trying to hide anything:
Jeff has a job in mind, but refuses to say directly what it is.

4. British English old-fashioned very soon:
He should be here directly, if you don’t mind waiting.

5. British English old-fashioned immediately

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. directly² conjunction British English old-fashioned
as soon as:
I came directly I got your message.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

exactly used when emphasizing that something is no more and no less than a number or amount, or is completely correct in every detail:
The bill came to exactly $1,000.
Police are still trying to find out exactly how the accident happened.
precisely exactly – used when it is important to be sure that something is completely correct in every detail:
We need to know precisely how much this is going to cost.
Can you tell us precisely where he is?
What precisely do you mean by ‘relativity’?
just especially spoken exactly – used especially when saying that things are exactly right, exactly the same, or exactly in a particular position:
The frame is just the right size for the picture.
He and his brother are just the same.
The hotel is just next to the station.
A new handbag! That’s just what I wanted.
right exactly in a particular position or direction:
The ball hit me right in the eye!
There’s the house, right in front of you.
I got a mosquito bite right on the end of my nose.
He sat down right beside her.
directly exactly in a particular position or direction Directly is more formal than right:
Amy was sitting directly opposite me.
on the dot informal at exactly a particular time, and no earlier or later than that time:
She always leaves the office at 5.30 p.m. on the dot.
bang British English informal exactly – used especially in the following very informal expressions:
The train was bang on time.
The shot was bang on target.
Cockatoo Island is right bang in the middle of Sydney harbour.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

right not wrong – used about something someone says, or about the person who says it:
the right answer
You were right about the colour.
‘He’s about thirty, isn’t he?’ ‘That’s right.’
correct right. Correct sounds more formal than right:
the correct answer
He is absolutely correct.
Unfortunately, this information is not correct.
accurate right – used about information, measurements, descriptions etc:
Make sure that your measurements are accurate.
an accurate description of the suspect
exact an exact number, amount, or time is completely correct, and is no more and no less than it should be:
The exact time is 9.28 a.m.
The exact weight of the baby was 3.3 kilos.
spot-on British English spoken informal exactly right – used especially about guesses or things people say:
His answer was spot-on.
You’re spot-on.
exactly used when emphasizing that something is no more and no less than a number or amount, or is completely correct in every detail:
The bill came to exactly $1,000.
Police are still trying to find out exactly how the accident happened.
precisely exactly – used when it is important to be sure that something is completely correct in every detail:
We need to know precisely how much this is going to cost.
Can you tell us precisely where he is?
What precisely do you mean by ‘relativity’?
just especially spoken exactly – used especially when saying that things are exactly right, exactly the same, or exactly in a particular position:
The frame is just the right size for the picture.
He and his brother are just the same.
The hotel is just next to the station.
A new handbag! That’s just what I wanted.
directly exactly in a particular position or direction Directly is more formal than right:
Amy was sitting directly opposite me.
on the dot informal at exactly a particular time, and no earlier or later than that time:
She always leaves the office at 5.30 p.m. on the dot.
bang British English informal exactly – used especially in the following very informal expressions:
The train was bang on time.
The shot was bang on target.
Cockatoo Island is right bang in the middle of Sydney harbour.
have a right
People have a right to know the truth.
violate sb’s rights formal (=stop them doing something they have a right to do)
Imprisoning the men without trial violated their rights.
exercise a right formal (=do what you have a right to do)
The insurance company decided not to exercise its right of appeal.
deny somebody a right (=not allow someone to do something they have the right to do )
Women were denied the right to vote.
demand a right (=ask for it firmly)
We demand the same rights that other European workers enjoy.
defend a right (=take action to stop a right being taken away)
We should defend our right to demonstrate.
uphold sb’s rights (=defend their rights)
I will uphold the rights of the people of this country.
human rights (=the rights that everyone should have)
This company always operates with respect for human rights.
civil rights (=the rights that every person in a society should have)
As a young man, he was deeply involved in the struggle for civil rights.
the civil rights movement
equal rights
Women demanded equal rights.
a fundamental/basic right
The law recognises a man’s fundamental right to defend his home and his property.
a legal right
Banks have the legal right to recover their money.
a constitutional right
Teachers have a constitutional right to join a union.
political rights
Slaves had no political rights.
women’s rights
New laws have been passed to protect women’s rights.
workers’ rights
The company’s actions are a violation of workers’ rights.
gay/lesbian rights
a gay rights campaigner
animal rights
Animal rights campaigners say the dogs are being bred in terrible conditions.
a right of appeal (=the right to ask for an official decision to be changed)
In these circumstances, there is no right of appeal.
the right to privacy (=the right to be free from public attention)
The judge decided that the media’s actions violated the couple’s right to privacy.
a right of access (=the right to enter a place, use something, or see someone)
You have rights of access to data held about you.
a right of reply (also the right to reply) (=the right to say or write something in answer to a criticism)
People should have the right of reply when a magazine has published letters criticizing them.
the right to freedom of expression
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲