hasty

adjective

\ ˈhā-stē

hastier; hastiest

Definition of hasty

1a : done or made in a hurry hasty city-street snapshots— R. B. Heilman

b : fast and typically superficial made a hasty examination of the wound

c archaic : rapid in action or movement : speedy

2 : acting too quickly : overly eager or impatient realized he had been hasty in quitting his job

3 : exhibiting a lack of careful thought or consideration : precipitate, rash We don't want to make any hasty decisions.

4 : prone to anger : irritable a hasty temperment

Other Words from hasty Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about hasty

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Choose the Right Synonym for hasty

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 hasty in a Sentence

I made a hasty sketch of the scene. Seeing the dog, the cat made a hasty retreat up a tree. We don't want to make any hasty decisions. He later realized that he was too hasty in his decision to quit.

Recent Examples on the Web

Avoid making hasty decisions while the messenger planet makes his way through these areas. — Venus Australis, refinery29.com, "Your Horoscope This Week," 14 July 2019 Even with the hasty firing, Linton has no plans to slow down. — Kristine Owram, BostonGlobe.com, "Canopy CEO ouster shows pressure is mounting for marijuana profits," 8 July 2019 The information shared in Horton’s article indicates the hypocrisy of President Trump’s perpetuated notion of the criminality of immigrants, when the acts of ICE are morally criminal in the hasty deportation of veterans. — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, "Letter: Alarming findings about ICE demonstrate need for reform," 5 July 2019 The grabbing of bags and backpacks followed by hasty exits. — Hayley Kaufman, BostonGlobe.com, "‘We’re not going to be moving, folks’: A four-hour commute to work on the Red Line," 11 June 2019 Under the hasty terms of partition, more than 550 princely states within colonial India that were not directly governed by Britain could decide to join either new nation or remain independent. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "The Kashmir conflict: How did it start?," 2 Mar. 2019 However, Kik’s hasty approach—slapped together during ICO mania—could prove its undoing. — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, "Kik was the first social media company to offer a cryptocurrency—but now the SEC has questions," 10 June 2019 Learn its ways, watch it, be careful of too hasty guesses at its meaning. — Deb Mazzocco, Twin Cities, "Top graduates 2019: When their hard work meets the future," 8 June 2019 China’s vision for a new world order has emerged sooner than expected because the West, led by Mr Trump’s America, has beaten so hasty a retreat. — The Economist, "Xi’s world order: July 2024," 7 July 2018

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