hasty

adjective

ˈhā-stē 

hastier; hastiest

1

a

: 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 temperament

hastiness noun

Synonyms

• cursory
• drive-by
• flying
• gadarene
• headlong
• helter-skelter
• hurried
• overhasty
• pell-mell
• precipitate
• precipitous
• rash
• rushed

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

The Democrats also spoke of the need to protect U.S. personnel and civilians in the region, cautioning against a hasty escalation that could endanger American lives. —Amanda Castro peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

Crisp, curly hair indicates a hasty, somewhat impetuous and rash character. —Literary Hub, 9 June 2025

If heroism is more your thing, there’s Genevieve O’Reilly shaming Chuck Schumer to death from the Senate floor and then beating her hasty retreat, or Adria Arjona playing Bix’s mental degradation after suffering so much, only to pull herself back from the brink. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 24 May 2025

But no use wringing your hands over a hasty purchase. —Philip Galanes, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

see haste entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Phrases Containing hasty

• hasty pudding
• made/beat a hasty retreat

Rhymes for hasty

• tasty

Kids Definition

hasty

adjective

ˈhā-stē 

hastier; hastiest

1

a

: done or made in a hurry

made a hasty sketch of the scene

b

: fast and often not thorough

made a hasty survey of the problem

2

: acting or done without forethought : rash

3

: quick to anger : irritable

a hasty temper

hastily

-stə-lē

adverb

hastiness

-stē-nəs

noun