Meaning & use
timely information
Last updated
Meaning
phraseuncountable
Information that arrives or is provided at the right moment, especially before a deadline or when it is still useful.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase; it takes a singular verb and cannot be used with 'a' or 'an'.
Patterns
- provide timely information
- receive timely information
- timely information about something
The weather service sent timely information about the storm, so residents had time to prepare.
For a news report, timely information is more valuable than old details.
The hospital needs timely information about patient allergies before giving any medicine.
Common combinations
- provide timely information
- The app provides timely information about train delays.
- timely information about
- We received timely information about the schedule change.
- accurate and timely information
- Accurate and timely information is essential in an emergency.
- access to timely information
- Journalists need access to timely information.
Synonyms and how they differ
- up-to-date information
- Focuses on being current rather than arriving at the right moment; timely information stresses the timing of arrival.
- prompt information
- Similar, but 'prompt' emphasizes speed of response, while 'timely' emphasizes being useful because it comes at the right time.
Opposites
Word family
- timeliness noun
- The quality of happening or being done at the right time.
- timely adjective
- Happening at a suitable or useful moment.
Commonly confused: timely information or timeless information?
timely information vs timeless information
'Timeless' means always relevant and never out of date; 'timely' means relevant right now because it arrives at the right moment.
Practice
The manager asked for ___ information so she could make a decision before the meeting.
Choose one answer.
'Timely' means arriving at the right moment, which fits the need to decide before the meeting. 'Timeless' means never out of date, which does not fit the deadline; 'time' and 'timed' do not form this collocation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “timely information”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.