online
adjective · adverb
Simple meaning
Connected to a computer network or accessible by computer.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
awnlynSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɔnlaɪn
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.
adjective
Connected to a computer network or accessible by computer
Of a computer: actively connected to the Internet or to some other communications service.
Available on a computer system, even if not networked.
Available over, or delivered from, the Internet.
Of a system: connected (generally electrically) to a larger network.
Of a system: active, particularly building facilities (such as power) or a factory or power plant.
adverb
While online; while in a running or active state, or connected to the Internet.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Connected to a computer network or accessible by computer
Used this way, online is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technology
- Technical/specialist writing
- Business/professional
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use online
- “Press the F1 key to access the online help.”adjective
- “I'll be online tonight, so I'll be able to reply to your email.”adjective
- “I prefer to read online newspapers.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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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.