Time and work

abrupt

sudden and unexpected, and often unpleasant:

abrupt end Our conversation came to an abrupt end when George burst into the room.

abrupt change There was an abrupt change in her attitude towards me when she heard that I was Alan's boyfriend.

abrupt halt The car juddered and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road.

The road ended in an abrupt (= sudden and very steep) slope down to the sea.

Anachronism

a person, thing, or idea that exists out of its time in history, especially one that happened or existed later than the period being shown, discussed, etc.:

For some people, marriage is an anachronism from the days when women needed to be protected.

Chronological

following the order in which a series of events happened:

in chronological order Give me the dates in chronological order.

The narrative line of the book is not chronological.

The timeline shows the chronological development of the phenomenon.

Contemporary

existing or happening now, and therefore seeming modern:

contemporary music/literature/art/fashion

Although the play was written hundreds of years ago, it still has a contemporary feel to it.

I wanted to update my kitchen and put in something more contemporary.

Duration

the length of time that something lasts:

He planned a stay of two years' duration.

Elapse

If time elapses, it goes past:

Four years had elapsed since he left college and still he hadn't found a job.

Era

a period of time of which particular events or stages of development are typical:

the Jefferson era

bygone era His memoir offers us a fascinating glimpse of a bygone era.

the post-war era

eternal

lasting forever or for a very long time:

The company is engaged in the eternal search for a product that will lead the market.

Instantaeous

happening immediately, without any delay:

an instantaneous response/reply/reaction

Interim

temporary and intended to be used or accepted until something permanent exists:

an interim solution

interim government An interim government was set up for the period before the country's first free election.

Interval

a period between two events or times:

at 10-minute, half-hour, 6-week, etc. intervals During peak hours, the bus will run at 10-minute intervals.

The tests should be repeated at six-week intervals.

at intervals of In the event of fire, the alarm will sound at intervals of 15 seconds.

at regular intervals We see each other at regular intervals - usually about once a month..

Permanent

lasting for a long time or for ever:

She is looking for a permanent place to stay.

= eternal

Overdue

not done or happening when expected or when needed; late:

My library books are a week overdue.

The baby is two weeks overdue (= the baby was expected to be born two weeks ago).

Changes to the tax system are long overdue.

prior

existing or happening before something else, or before a particular time:

The course required no prior knowledge of Spanish.

They had to refuse the dinner invitation because of a prior engagement (= something already planned for that time).

Provisional

for the present time but likely to change:

a provisional government

These dates are only provisional.

Postpone

to delay an event and plan or decide that it should happen at a later date or time:

They decided to postpone their holiday until next year.

[ + -ing verb ] We've had to postpone going to France because the children are ill.

simultaneous

happening or being done at exactly the same time:

There were several simultaneous explosions in different cities.

Punctual

arriving, doing something, or happening at the expected, correct time; not late:

a punctual start to the meeting

He's fairly punctual (= he usually arrives on time).

subsequent

happening after something else:

The book discusses his illness and subsequent resignation from politics.

Those explosions must have been subsequent to our departure, because we didn't hear anything.

Multinational

involving several different countries, or (of a business) producing and selling goods in several different countries:

The UN has sent a multinational peace-keeping force.

a major multinational food company

Prospects

the possibility of being successful, especially at work:

career prospects She's hoping the course will improve her career prospects.

prospects of/for Prospects of/for (= opportunities for) employment remain bleak for most people in the area.

Consultant

someone who advises people on a particular subject:

a management/financial/computer consultant

a firm of public relations consultants

Redundant

(especially of a word, phrase, etc.) unnecessary because it is more than is needed:

In the sentence "She is a single unmarried woman", the word "unmarried" is redundant.

Recruit

to persuade someone to work for a company or become a new member of an organization, especially the army:

Charities such as Oxfam are always trying to recruit volunteers to help in their work.

Even young boys are now being recruited into the army.

Having slimmed to around 1,400 staff, the company is now recruiting again.

Knock off

stop working

Executive

someone in a high position, especially in business, who makes decisions and puts them into action:

senior executive She is now a senior executive, having worked her way up through the company.

on the spur of the moment

used to say that a decision, action, etc. is sudden and done without any planning:

We hadn't planned to go away - it was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions.

We just jumped in a car on the spur of the moment and drove to the seaside.

the other day

recently

once in a blue moon

very rarely

for the time being

for now

in/for donekey’s years

an extremly long time

kick off (with)

begin with