hasty

play

adjective \ ˈhā-stē \

Definition of hasty

hastier; hastiest

1 a archaic :rapid in action or movement :speedy

b :done or made in a hurry

hasty city-street snapshots
—R. B. Heilman

c :fast and typically superficial

made a hasty examination of the wound

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

—

hastiness

noun

See hasty defined for English-language learners

See hasty defined for kids

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 of hasty from the Web

As soon as the Olympics were over, a hasty conversion turned the stadium into what it was meant to be all along: Turner Field, a 50,000-seat ballpark for the Atlanta Braves named after then-owner Ted Turner.

— paul newberry, The Seattle Times, "Stadium Formerly Known as Turner Field begins a new chapter," 27 Aug. 2017
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump opened the door to an increase in U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan on Monday night as part of a new strategy for the region, arguing against a hasty withdrawal from America’s longest military conflict.

— author: steve holland and john walcott, Alaska Dispatch News, "Trump clears way for troop increase in Afghanistan as part of retooled strategy," 22 Aug. 2017
A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda, would instantly fill just as happened before September 11th.

— nora kelly, The Atlantic, "Full Transcript: Donald Trump Announces His Afghanistan Policy," 21 Aug. 2017
A hasty or poorly researched purchase brings on a bad case of buyer’s remorse, followed by a decision to get something better — right now.

— ronald montoya and matt jones, Detroit Free Press, "Edmunds: Many car buyers make wrong turn on financing," 17 Aug. 2017
Following another round of hasty repairs, the Broad will reopen for business starting with the 7 p.m. shows Friday, according to theater manager Brian Jones.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Broad Theater dries out, reopens for business," 11 Aug. 2017
A record-breaking Masters win at the age of 21, second youngest only to Woods, followed two months later by a US Open suggested golf had been too hasty in naming McIlroy as Tiger's true successor.

— rob hodgetts, CNN, "Golf's magnificent seven: How first-time winners took over," 19 July 2017
Don't let your temper or hasty words get the better of you.

— aurora tower, Cosmopolitan, "Your Horoscopes for the Week of June 26," 25 June 2017
He and Collins are two of the many Republican senators who have voiced complaints about the hasty, secretive process their party is using to pass its bill.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "GOP ‘Moderates’ Worry Gutting Medicaid During a Public Health Crisis Might Have Some Downsides," 21 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of hasty

see ¹haste

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

hasty Synonyms

Synonyms

cursory, drive-by, flying, gadarene, headlong, helter-skelter, hurried, overhasty, pell-mell, precipitate, 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

Synonym Discussion of 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

HASTY Defined for English Language Learners

hasty

play

adjective

Definition of hasty for English Language Learners

: done or made very quickly
: done or made too quickly
: acting too quickly

HASTY Defined for Kids

hasty

play

adjective \ ˈhā-stē \

Definition of hasty for Students

hastier; hastiest

1 :done or made in a hurry

a hasty trip

2 :made, done, or decided without proper care and thought

a hasty decision

—

hastily

\-stə-lē\ adverb

Learn More about hasty

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hasty Spanish Central: Translation of hasty Nglish: Translation of hasty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hasty for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up hasty? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

hasty

Definition of hasty

hastiness

From the M-W Editors

Examples of hasty in a Sentence

Recent Examples of hasty from the Web

Origin and Etymology of hasty

hasty Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of hasty

Phrases Related to HASTY

Related Phrases

HASTY Defined for English Language Learners

hasty

Definition of hasty for English Language Learners

HASTY Defined for Kids

hasty

Definition of hasty for Students

hastily

Learn More about hasty

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066