meanwhile
adverb · noun
Simple meaning
At the same time but in another place.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
meenwylSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈminwaɪl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
At the same time but in another place
During the time that something is happening, often specifically in a different place.
During an intervening time; from now until a future time.
“Meanwhile I will not think about the problem.”
In contrast to aspects previously mentioned.
noun
The time between one event, process, or period and another
“Meanwhile the socialists are running the government.”
The time between two events.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: At the same time but in another place
Used this way, meanwhile is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Same / duringadverb
“Meanwhile I will not think about the problem.”
Timenoun
“Meanwhile the socialists are running the government.”
More ways to use meanwhile
- “Meanwhile I will not think about the problem.”adverb
- “Meanwhile the socialists are running the government.”noun
- “Meanwhile, back at the ranch...”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: time between one event or process
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.