hasty

adjective \ ˈhā-stē \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

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

According to officials familiar with the preparations for the meeting, Trump's entire national security team strongly advised against a hasty withdrawal from Syria.

— darlene superville, Fox News, "Trump mulls quick US pullout from Syria while advisers balk," 4 Apr. 2018
And he is still seen as inexperienced, hasty and without a deep bench of seasoned advisors.

— noah bierman, latimes.com, "Trump meets with Saudi Crown Prince 'MBS' to push arms deals and challenge to Iran," 20 Mar. 2018
His hasty exit from the White House upset a number of staffers in the building, who described him as a loyal aide who deserved a more ceremonious departure.

— courant.com, "Former UConn Quarterback Johnny McEntee Lost White House Job Over Gambling Habit," 16 Mar. 2018
Family assistance stagnated in neglect and then suddenly was discovered to be the central issue on the basis of hasty and superficial studies.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Martin Luther King Jr. on the problem with ‘so-called educated people’," 15 Jan. 2018
And Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., attributed part of the House's hasty work on the measure to GOP fears of being stuck in Washington on Saturday, when huge throngs of students and others are expected to demonstrate in support of gun curbs.

— andrew taylor and lisa mascaro, chicagotribune.com, "House OKs compromise $1.3 trillion budget bill, Senate passage up next," 22 Mar. 2018
The most upsetting of those casualties involved, seemingly, Mulder and Scully's beloved boss Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), amid what felt as much like a hasty clearing of the decks as anything else.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'The X-Files' finale marks likely end to long search for truth," 21 Mar. 2018
His hasty exit from the White House upset a number of staffers in the building, who described him as a loyal aide who deserved a more ceremonious departure.

— courant.com, "Former UConn Quarterback Johnny McEntee Lost White House Job Over Gambling Habit," 16 Mar. 2018
His hasty exit from the White House upset a number of staffers in the building, who described him as a loyal aide who deserved a more ceremonious departure.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Trump's personal aide, John McEntee, loses White House position over gambling habit," 15 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of hasty

see ¹haste

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

hasty Synonyms

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

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

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

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hasty

Definition of hasty

hastiness

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Origin and Etymology of hasty

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