pointless word

ullu

Is instantaneous a pointless word?

Is there a marked difference between "The results were instant" and "The results were instantaneous"?

Amz

ullu wrote:

Is instantaneous a pointless word?

No.

ullu

Ok, what's the difference between the two examples i gave then?

using instant in that sentence is gramattically wrong

ullu

Thanks, why is that?

Tar.Aldarion

no it's not,
ullu, there is either no difference between the words in some contexts like awesome and brilliant but in cases they are used differently.
Instantaneous Speed - speed at any given instant in time.
If something happens instantly it happens immediately. If something happens instantaneously it also happens immediately but at the same time very quickly. Instantaneous and instantaneously are used only in a restricted range of contexts:
* The Beatles songs are instantly recognisable - everybody seems to know them.
* When I saw Barbara crying I knew instantly what was wrong.
* Death was instantaneous for all the people in the car when the bomb exploded.
* The airbags for the driver and front seat passenger inflate instantaneously on impact in a
head-on collision.


get the difference?

RuggieBear

not sure you can use the verb "to be" with instant.

ullu

Thanks Tar, the reason I wondered is because instantaneous is a direct derivative of instant. Obviously "The results were instant" and "The results were immediate" have the same meaning but are independent words. It just struck me that instantaneous (rightly or wrongly) was a needless derivative with the exact same meaning.

Capt'n Midnight

ullu wrote:

Is instantaneous a pointless word?

Doubleplusquick is an unword.

peckerhead

RuggieBear is right. Fowler's Usage (my own copy, not online) says so...

FlutterinBantam

I would say myself that the main difference is that "instantaneous" usually implies that another action took place at the same time e.g.

"He shot himself in the head...death was instantaneous" In other words occurred at the same time as he popped a cap in himself..

"The air bag inflated instantaneously...(when the car hit the wall)

"Instant" doesn't seem to convey the presence of another action....


Ah .. Its good enough for me

Victor

ullu wrote:

"The results were instant"

Is instant is a noun in this sentence? I find it uncomfortable to say.

I would say "The results were immediate" or "We got instant results".