soon
UK /suːn/ · US /sun/ adjective, adverb, proper noun
- adjective Short in length of time from the present. “I need the soonest date you have available.”
- adjective (US, dialect) Early.
- adjective Used as an alternative to express 'to be going to' in the form 'to be soon to'. “Hurry up, the wedding is soon to start!”
- adverb (obsolete) Immediately, instantly.
- adverb Within a short time; quickly. “His wife is likely to come too after him, but we just do not know how soon after.”
- adverb (now dialectal) Early.
- adverb Readily; willingly; used with would, or some other word expressing will.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
anon betimes by and by directly dreckley early eftsoons hastily imminently just now momentarily presently promptly pronto quickly rear shortly tidely before long
Antonyms
behind time eventually immediately on time punctually recently someday sometime
Etymology
From Middle English sone, from Old English sōna (“immediately, at once”), from Proto-West Germanic *sān(ō), from Proto-Germanic *sēna, *sēnô (“immediately, soon, then”), from *sa (demonstrative pronoun), from Proto-Indo-European *só (demonstrative pronoun).
Cognate with Scots sone, sune, schone (“soon, quickly, at once”), North Frisian san (“immediately, at once”), dialectal Dutch zaan (“soon, before long”), Middle Low German sân (“right afterwards, soon”), Middle High German sān, son (“soon, then”), Old High German sār (“immediately, soon”). Compare also Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐍃 (suns, “immediately, soon”), from Proto-Germanic *suniz (“soon”).
Borrowed from Chinese 孫/孙 (Mandarin: Sūn, Cantonese: syun¹, Hokkien: Sun), also spelled as Sun.
Webster’s 1913
- adverb In a short time; shortly after any time specified or supposed; as, soon after sunrise. "Sooner said than done." Old Proverb. "As soon as it might be." Chaucer.
- adverb Without the usual delay; before any time supposed; early.
- adjective Speedy; quick. [Obs.] Shak.
Etymology [OE. sone, AS. s; cf. OFries. s, OS. sana, sano, OHG. sar, Goth. suns.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “soon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details