What does instantaneous mean?
Word: Instantaneous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Instantaneous means happening at once, with no wait at all.
Synonyms: immediate
How do you spell instantaneous?
Syllables: in - stan - ta - ne - ous
Tricky part: The e before ous is hardly heard, so pupils drop it or swap it for an i.
Watch out for: instantanous, instantanious, instantanius
Memory tip: Spontaneous finishes the same way, so learn the two words as a pair.
Instantaneous in a sentence
Example 1: The crowd's roar was almost instantaneous once the ball crossed the rope.
Example 2: A tap on the card reader brought an instantaneous message from the bank.
Example 3: Ravi's instantaneous smile told us he had cleared the test.
Fun Fact
Even sunlight is not instantaneous: the light reaching you now left the Sun about eight minutes ago.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
_nst_ntaneous
a) e, e
b) e, a
c) i, a
d) i, e
Show answer
c) i, a. The opening part of this word is simply instant.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
instanntaneous
a) t
b) o
c) n
d) s
Show answer
c) n. Each n in this word stands alone; none of them is doubled.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Thanks to undersea cables, the reply from my cousin in Canada felt almost anisnasoteunt.
a) simultaneous
b) instantaneous
c) miscellaneous
d) extraneous
Show answer
b) instantaneous. The jumble has no m, l or x, which rules out the other three.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word instantaneous as used in the sentence:
The reaction in the chemistry demonstration was instantaneous, and the liquid turned pink.
a) swift
b) sudden
c) delayed
d) rapid
Show answer
c) delayed. Sudden, swift and rapid all lean the same way as the word; only delayed points the other way.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these happens in an instantaneous way?
a) a lamp coming on as you press the switch
b) a river wearing away a large rock
c) a glacier sliding down a long valley
d) a seed growing into a tall green tree
Show answer
a) a lamp coming on as you press the switch
2. Priya's app promises instantaneous results. What should she expect after pressing Submit?
a) a reminder to try again later on
b) her score on the screen straight away
c) her score in the post next week
d) a call from her teacher tomorrow
Show answer
b) her score on the screen straight away
