precipitate

³pre·cip·i·tate

adj \pri-ˈsi-pə-tət\

Definition of PRECIPITATE

1

a : falling, flowing, or rushing with steep descent b : precipitous, steep

2

: exhibiting violent or unwise speed

— pre·cip·i·tate·ly adverb

— pre·cip·i·tate·ness noun

Examples of PRECIPITATE

1. <the army's precipitate withdrawal from the field of battle>
2. The precipitate decline in support for Aristide has probably less to do with Haiti's political crisis than with the continuous and unrelenting economic battering: the Haitian gourde, which a year ago was trading at 27 to the dollar, by late February was down to 55 to the dollar. —Peter Dailey, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002
3. Almost at once I began to remember why drive-ins went into such a precipitate decline. To begin with, it is not remotely comfortable to sit in a car to watch a movie. —Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999
4. Assuming that the offering goes ahead—and only a precipitate slide in the stock market will stop it—a big slice of Wall Street history will disappear. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 1999

Origin of PRECIPITATE

(see ²precipitate)

First Known Use: 1615

Related to PRECIPITATE

Synonyms: cursory, drive-by, flying, gadarene, headlong, helter-skelter, hurried, overhasty, pell-mell, hasty, precipitous, rash, rushed

Antonyms: deliberate, unhurried, unrushed

Related Words: breakneck, breathtaking; headstrong, heady, hotheaded, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, madcap, reckless, unadvised; quick, rapid, speedy, swift; horseback, impromptu, makeshift, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, rush, slapdash, snap, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment; abrupt, sudden

Near Antonyms: calculated, calculating, measured; circumspect, foresighted, forethoughtful; drawn-out, extended, long-term, prolonged; faltering, hesitant, hesitating, tentative; dallying, dawdling, laggard, leisurely, poky (or pokey), shilly-shallying, slow

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Synonym Discussion of PRECIPITATE

precipitate, headlong, abrupt, impetuous, sudden mean showing undue haste or unexpectedness. precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action <the army's precipitate withdrawal>. headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought <a headlong flight from arrest>. abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony <an abrupt refusal>. impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness <an impetuous lover proposing marriage>. sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action <flew into a sudden rage>.