adjective
- occurring or accomplished without delay; instant: an immediate reply.
- following or preceding without a lapse of time: the immediate future.
- having no object or space intervening; nearest or next: in the immediate vicinity.
- of or relating to the present time or moment: our immediate plans.
- without intervening medium or agent; direct: an immediate cause.
- having a direct bearing: immediate consideration.
- very close in relationship: my immediate family.
- Philosophy. directly intuited.
adjective (usually prenominal)
- taking place or accomplished without delayan immediate reaction
- closest or most direct in effect or relationshipthe immediate cause of his downfall
- having no intervening medium; direct in effectan immediate influence
- contiguous in space, time, or relationshipour immediate neighbour
- present; currentthe immediate problem is food
- philosophy of or relating to an object or concept that is directly known or intuited
- logic (of an inference) deriving its conclusion from a single premise, esp by conversion or obversion of a categorial statement
late 14c., “intervening, interposed;” early 15c., “with nothing interposed; direct,” also with reference to time, from Old French immediat, from Late Latin immediatus “without anything between,” from assimilated form of in- “not, opposite of” (see in- (1)) + mediatus, past participle of mediare “to halve,” later, “be in the middle,” from Latin medius “middle” (see medial (adj.)).