Word: momentarily (adverb)

Associations

"Momentarily" means "for a very short time" or "in a very short time," but it can be confusing because it has two main uses:

1. To say something will happen very soon (in a moment).
2. To say something lasts for a very short time (for a moment).

Examples:

• "The train will arrive momentarily." (It means the train will come very soon.)
• "She paused momentarily before answering." (It means she paused for a very short time.)
• "Please wait momentarily while I check." (It means wait for a short time or just a moment.)

Synonym difference:

• "Soon" means in the near future but does not tell how long.
• "Briefly" means for a short time, like one meaning of "momentarily." The difference is that "momentarily" can mean both "soon" and "for a short time," so context is important.

Substitution

Depending on meaning, you can replace "momentarily" with:

• Soon, shortly (when meaning "in a moment")
• Briefly, for a moment (when meaning "for a short time")

Example change:

• "The meeting will start momentarily." → "The meeting will start soon."
• "He stopped momentarily." → "He stopped briefly."

Deconstruction

• Root: "moment" means a very short period of time.
• Suffix: "-arily" is an adverb ending, meaning "in the manner of" or "related to." "Momentarily" literally means "in a moment" or "for a moment."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a situation where you might say something will happen momentarily?
• How would you explain the difference between "momentarily" and "soon" to a friend?
• Have you ever waited momentarily for something? What was it?