Ready — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈre-dē/

Meaning & Definition of Ready

Ready (adjective)

  1. prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action
  2. prepared for immediate use
  3. willingly disposed, inclined

Ready (verb)

  1. to make ready

Ready (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being in a state of fitness for some experience or action

    "after studying for months, she felt ready for the bar exam"

    similar: fit, go, prepared, set
    related: conditioned, primed, ripe, armed, braced, fortified, steeled, qualified, trained
    opposite: flat-footed, half-baked, half-cocked, underprepared, unprepared, unready
    near: unqualified, untrained

  2. having a desire or inclination (as for a specified course of action)

    "I'm ready to help, if I can"

    similar: amenable, disposed, fain, game, glad, inclined, minded, willing
    related: predisposed, prone, accommodating, agreeable, compliant, cooperative, obedient, obliging, submissive, favorable, receptive, prepared, prompt, quick, responsive, swift, desirous, eager, enthused, enthusiastic, excited
    opposite: disinclined, unamenable, unwilling
    near: averse, loath, reluctant, reticent

  3. having or showing the ability to respond without delay or hesitation

    "had a ready response to every one of her objections regarding the feasibility of the plan"

    similar: alacritous, alert, expeditious, prompt, quick, willing
    related: receptive, responsive, immediate, instant, instantaneous, summary, breakneck, breathless, brisk, fast, fleet, fleet-footed, hit-and-run, lightning, rapid, rapid-fire, rattling, snappy, speedy, swift, whirlwind, eager, keen, sharp, apt, clever, quick-witted, ready-witted, sharp-witted, smart
    near: unresponsive, crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, lazy, lazyish, leisurely, logy, poking, poky, slothful, slow, slowish, sluggish, tardy, unhurried, dormant, idle, inactive, inert

  4. involving minimal difficulty or effort

    "we're hoping you have a ready solution to our networking problem"

    similar: cheap, downhill, easy, effortless, facile, fluent, fluid, hands-down, light, painless, royal, simple, smooth, snap, soft
    related: idiotproof, mindless, quick, straightforward, unchallenging, uncomplicated, apparent, clear, clear-cut, distinct, evident, manifest, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, perspicuous, plain, transparent, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable
    opposite: arduous, demanding, difficult, exacting, formidable, grueling, hard, herculean, killer, labored, laborious, murderous, rough, severe, stiff, strenuous, toilful, toilsome, tough
    near: burdensome, exhausting, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressful, taxing, troublesome, abstruse, complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty, problematic, recondite

Ready (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to make competent (as by training, skill, or ability) for a particular office or function

    "this advanced course should ready him for college"

    similar: equip, fit, prepare, qualify, season, train
    related: accustom, adapt, adjust, condition, groom, habituate, shape, tailor, authorize, entitle, empower, enable, educate, indoctrinate, instruct, school, teach, tutor

  2. to make ready in advance

    "we can ready the desserts for the party a day in advance"

    similar: fit, fix, groom, lay, prep, prepare
    related: brace, fortify, gird, steel, batten, gather, gear up, mount, educate, indoctrinate, instruct, school, train, tutor, boot (up), prime, arrange, set, spread, arm, equip, forearm, furnish, outfit, provide, supply, incline, predispose, draft, draw up, frame, warm (up)

  3. to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally

    "the basketball players sat quietly in the locker room, readying themselves for the final game of the season"

    similar: brace, forearm, fortify, nerve, poise, psych (up), steel, strengthen
    related: arm, harden, inure, season, toughen, bolster, boost, buoy (up), buttress, enforce, prop (up), reinforce, support, sustain, cheer (up), comfort, embolden, encourage, hearten, inspire, rally, rouse, stir
    near: daunt, demoralize, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, psych (out), shake, unnerve, debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, prostrate, sap, soften, tire, undercut, undermine, weaken

Related Entry: Ready-made (adjective)

Ready-made is a different word from Ready. The synonyms below are for ready-made, not for ready.

  1. made beforehand in large numbers

    "the store carries mostly inexpensive ready-made clothing"

    similar: bought, mass-produced, off-the-peg (chiefly British), off-the-rack, off-the-shelf, store, store-bought
    related: ready-to-wear, commercial, prefab, prefabricated, hand-me-down
    opposite: bespoke, custom, customized, custom-made, tailored, tailor-made
    near: handcrafted, handmade, homemade

Related Entry: Ready-to-wear (adjective)

Ready-to-wear is a different word from Ready. The synonyms below are for ready-to-wear, not for ready.

  1. as in off-the-rack, mass-produced

    similar: bought, mass-produced, off-the-peg (chiefly British), off-the-rack, off-the-shelf, ready-made, store, store-bought, prefab, prefabricated, commercial, hand-me-down
    opposite: bespoke, custom, customized, custom-made, tailored, tailor-made, handcrafted, handmade, homemade

Related Entry: Ready-to-wear (noun)

Ready-to-wear is a different word from Ready. The synonyms below are for ready-to-wear, not for ready.

  1. as in couture, tailoring

    similar: couture, prêt-à-porter, tailoring, civvies, mufti, activewear, loungewear, outerwear, playwear, sportswear, costume, ensemble, frock, garb, getup, guise, livery, outfit, nightclothes, sleepwear, smallclothes, underclothes, underwear, tatters, haberdashery, menswear, foofaraw, frippery, gaudery, tawdry, trumpery (archaic), array, bravery, caparison, finery, gaiety, glad rags, pretties, regalia, trim, garderobe, wardrobe

Related Entry: Ready-witted (adjective)

Ready-witted is a different word from Ready. The synonyms below are for ready-witted, not for ready.

  1. as in smart, clever

    similar: apt, clever, quick-witted, sharp-witted, smart, eager, keen, sharp, breakneck, breathless, brisk, fast, fleet, fleet-footed, hit-and-run, lightning, rapid, rapid-fire, rattling, snappy, speedy, swift, whirlwind, immediate, instant, instantaneous, summary, receptive, responsive, alacritous, alert, expeditious, prompt, quick, ready, willing
    opposite: unresponsive, crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, lazy, lazyish, leisurely, logy, poking, poky, slothful, slow, slowish, sluggish, tardy, unhurried, dormant, idle, inactive, inert

Related Entry: Rough-and-ready (adjective)

Rough-and-ready is a different word from Ready. The synonyms below are for rough-and-ready, not for ready.

  1. hastily or roughly constructed

    "a rough-and-ready shack that the explorers threw together as winter approached"

    similar: artless, clumsy, crude, jerry-built, jerry-rigged, jury-rigged, rough, rough-and-tumble, rough-hewn, rude, unrefined
    related: defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect, imprecise, inexact, inartistic, undressed, unfinished, unpolished, unworked, amateur, amateurish, inexpert, unprofessional, unskilled, unskillful, primitive, rudimentary, unshaped, unshapen
    opposite: refined
    near: faultless, finished, flawless, meticulous, perfect, perfected, polished, well-done, adept, adroit, dexterous, expert, masterful, masterly, neat, practiced, skillful, workmanlike, artful, artistic, sophisticated, exact, precise

Related Entry: At the ready (phrase)

At the ready is a different word from Ready. The synonyms below are for at the ready, not for ready.

  1. possible to get

    "We were all grateful to live next to a corner store that always had ripe avocados at the ready."

    similar: accessible, acquirable, attainable, available, obtainable, procurable, on hand, on file, on tap
    related: getatable, reachable, appropriable, purchasable, rentable, furnished, provided, supplied, common, omnipresent, prevalent, ubiquitous, universal, widespread, free, free-for-all, open, public, unrestricted
    opposite: inaccessible, unattainable, unavailable, unobtainable
    near: limited, off-limits, restricted, deficient, lacking, missing, rare, scarce, uncommon

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Ready

The most common words with a similar meaning to Ready:

fit, go, prepared, set, amenable, disposed, fain, game, glad, inclined, minded, willing, alacritous, alert, expeditious, prompt, quick, cheap, downhill, easy, effortless, facile, fluent, fluid, hands-down, light, painless, royal, simple, smooth, snap, soft, equip, prepare, qualify, season, train, fix, groom, lay

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Ready

Words with the opposite meaning of Ready:

flat-footed, half-baked, half-cocked, underprepared, unprepared, unready, disinclined, unamenable, unwilling, arduous, demanding, difficult, exacting, formidable, grueling, hard, herculean, killer, labored, laborious, murderous, rough, severe, stiff, strenuous, toilful, toilsome, tough

Related Words for Ready

conditioned, primed, ripe, armed, braced, fortified, steeled, qualified, trained, predisposed, prone, accommodating, agreeable, compliant, cooperative, obedient, obliging, submissive, favorable, receptive, responsive, swift, desirous, eager, enthused, enthusiastic, excited, immediate, instant, instantaneous

Near Antonyms of Ready

unqualified, untrained, averse, loath, reluctant, reticent, unresponsive, crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, lazy, lazyish, leisurely, logy, poking, poky, slothful, slow, slowish, sluggish, tardy, unhurried, dormant, idle

Word Forms of Ready

Inflections: readier, readiest, readied, readying

Origin & Etymology of Ready

Middle English redy; akin to Old English gerǣde ready, Goth garaiths arranged

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Ready

Words & Phrases Containing Ready

ready box, ready-made, ready room, ready-to-wear, ready-witted, ready, steady, go, ready to roll

Frequently Asked Questions about Ready

What does "Ready" mean?

"Ready" means prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: prepared mentally or physically for some experience or action. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Ready"?

Other words for "Ready" include fit, go, prepared, set, amenable, disposed, fain and game. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Ready" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Ready"?

There are 181 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Ready". Common alternatives include fit, go, prepared, set, amenable, disposed, fain, game, glad and inclined.

What is the opposite of "Ready"?

Antonyms of "Ready" include flat-footed, half-baked, half-cocked, underprepared, unprepared, unready, disinclined and unamenable. Near antonyms include unqualified, untrained, averse and loath.

How do you use "Ready" in a sentence?

Examples of "Ready" in a sentence: "after studying for months, she felt ready for the bar exam"; "I'm ready to help, if I can"; "had a ready response to every one of her objections regarding the feasibility of the plan".

Is "Ready" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Ready" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Ready" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Ready" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Ready"?

"Ready" is pronounced /ˈre-dē/.