speedier; speediest
: marked by swiftness of motion or action
speedily adverb
speediness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for speedy

fast, rapid, swift, fleet, quick, speedy, hasty, expeditious mean moving, proceeding, or acting with celerity.

fast and rapid are very close in meaning, but fast applies particularly to the thing that moves

fast horses

and rapid to the movement itself.

rapid current

swift suggests great rapidity coupled with ease of movement.

returned the ball with one swift stroke

fleet adds the implication of lightness and nimbleness.

fleet runners

quick suggests promptness and the taking of little time.

a quick wit

speedy implies quickness of successful accomplishment

speedy delivery of mail

and may also suggest unusual velocity.

hasty suggests hurry and precipitousness and often connotes carelessness.

a hasty inspection

expeditious suggests efficiency together with rapidity of accomplishment.

the expeditious handling of an order

Examples of speedy in a Sentence

They wished her a speedy recovery. a speedy worker but not a very careful one, unfortunately
Recent Examples on the Web Airdrops evade the often rigorous examinations carried out at land checkpoints, so are undoubtedly a speedy way of getting supplies into a conflict zone. Niamh Kennedy, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The speedy driving doesn’t happen when her son is a passenger. Mike Palm, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 The prince defeats the enemies and discovers the secret of Galerius’ speedy takeover. Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The speedy development is due to employee retention, Kitase said. Gene Park, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Winn, who will turn 22 in March, brings outstanding potential as a good hitting, speedy shortstop with excellent defensive ability and sharp baseball instincts. Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 At the hearing Friday, Jones refused to agree to another pre-trial delay, forcing the judge to order all the parties back to court on Monday to set a speedy trial date, possibly this month. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 The plan would be a notable shift after roughly a century of engineering decisions that put the speedy movement of motor vehicles above all other concerns. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Testimony and other evidence often deteriorate over time, which is one reason that criminal defendants and their victims are entitled to a speedy trial. Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speedy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English spedi "beneficial, unencumbered, agile, prompt," from sped "luck, success, assistance, rate of progress" + -i -y entry 1 — more at speed entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of speedy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near speedy

Cite this Entry

“Speedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speedy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

speedy

adjective
speedier; speediest
: moving or taking place fast
speedily adverb
speediness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on speedy

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