convenient

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adjective con·ve·nient \ kən-ˈvēn-yənt \

Definition of convenient

1 obsolete :suitable, proper

2 a :suited to personal comfort or to easy performance

meeting at a convenient time

b :suited to a particular situation

a convenient excuse

c :affording accommodation or advantage

found it convenient to deal with both problems at the same time

3 :being near at hand :close

a location convenient to the train station

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conveniently

adverb

See convenient defined for English-language learners

See convenient defined for kids

Examples of convenient in a Sentence

"You know, you have a very convenient way, Alsi, of forgetting what happened two minutes ago." —Zadie Smith, White Teeth, (2000) 2001
It was more convenient to take my meals in bed, where all I had to do was push away my tray with its uneaten food and fall back upon my pillows … —Stanley Elkin, Harper's, January 1993
The Horses I would have you send to some good pasture … if you can find one convenient. —George Washington 10 May 1756, in The Papers of George Washington, 1984
… at last, after a dreadful struggle in a difficult place where there seemed to be no convenient branches at all, he got near the top. —J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, 1937
When is a convenient time for you to meet?
The controls are located in a convenient spot on the dashboard.
It might be more convenient to use a calculator, rather than adding the numbers yourself.
a convenient method of cleaning windows
Schools, churches, and stores are all convenient from here.
The power failure was a convenient excuse to leave work early.
The economic recession gave lawmakers a convenient pretext for passing the bill.

Recent Examples of convenient from the Web

Next to it, an earlier owner had built a plywood stereo cabinet with a table that flopped down for convenient dining.

— maria l. laganga, idahostatesman, "From contemporary to ‘Mad Men’ chic — midcentury gems highlight Boise home tour," 14 Aug. 2017
Immediate, convenient access to these treatments is key.

— brian rinker, Kaiser Health News, "A Long And Winding Road: Kicking Heroin In An Opioid ‘Treatment Desert’," 11 Aug. 2017
That's the convenient narrative, anyway, that has been passed along by a segment of folks.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Hutton: Can we turn the page on Steve Bartman's saga? Please?," 5 Aug. 2017
The actual proposals in King’s article are a convenient mix of the inoffensive and the unrealizable, and therefore are not particularly concerning.

— max bloom, National Review, "Democracy Is Not a Poll," 20 July 2017
Because the buprenorphine is taken once a day at home, the treatment is more convenient and less invasive than methadone that must be administered daily at a clinic.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Naperville hospital tackles opioid epidemic," 11 July 2017
Microsoft's Surface Pro ran on that idea and became a convenient multi-use product for many.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Review: HP’s new Spectre x2 is a crazy value compared to the Surface Pro," 10 July 2017
Mr. Tcherniakov has a convenient escape hatch: Sometimes his therapist-performers become visibly bored with their script.

— micaela baranello, New York Times, "Review: ‘Carmen,’ Boldly Rewritten as Therapy for a Modern Man," 5 July 2017
Automakers have been trying to design a new control that’s safe, convenient and creates space for storage and other features.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "GMC bets on new shifter design in 2018 Terrain SUV," 2 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'convenient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of convenient

Middle English, from Latin convenient-, conveniens, from present participle of convenire to assemble, come together, be suitable, from com- + venire to come — more at come

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First Known Use: 14th century

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