expedient 1 of 2

expedient

2 of 2

noun

1
as in substitute
a temporary replacement if you're a spectator caught without rainwear at a sporting event, then a plastic garbage bag makes an acceptable, if unfashionable, expedient

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in opportunity
something that one uses to accomplish an end especially when the usual means is not available since there wasn't a single bandage left in our backpacks, we had to use a bandanna, our only expedient

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word expedient distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words advisable and politic are common synonyms of expedient. While all three words mean "dictated by practical or prudent motives," expedient usually implies what is immediately advantageous without regard for ethics or consistent principles.

a politically expedient decision

How is advisable related to other words for expedient?

Advisable applies to what is practical, prudent, or advantageous but lacks the derogatory implication of expedient and politic.

sometimes it's advisable to say nothing

When could politic be used to replace expedient?

While in some cases nearly identical to expedient, politic stresses judiciousness and tactical value but usually implies some lack of candor or sincerity.

a politic show of interest

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of expedient
Adjective
Naturally, the theft of the ghost shirt by the stooges in the employ of Roy Lee is accompanied by many deceased bodies — the first of the many bloodbaths in Americana, which has a distressingly expedient approach to on-screen carnage. Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025 Funding for the Loop has traditionally come from federal and state sources, but Caumissar-Kern said the strategy is not expedient for building new trails. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 23 July 2025
Noun
In one approach, disagreements about statistics should be part of public, reasoned arguments in which the assumptions, limits and aims of competing choices are interrogated, weighed and debated by those who have a commitment to the truth and not simply to what is expedient. Thomas Stapleford, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025 Instead, adopting features and placing oversight and authority with agencies from already existing Lanes/programs that have the same measure of success (see below) has been far more successful and expedient. Robert Hoban, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for expedient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for expedient
Adjective
  • The prudent way forward ought then to be to read today’s many swirling war stories with greater acuity—or even to learn how to write an altogether different story.
    Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
  • This aligns with research showing that rural social identity predicts skepticism of external experts, illustrating a rural orientation toward prudent distrust.
    Scott R. Schell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The France midfielder signed from Lyon in the summer has been eased into his Premier League career after a two-month injury layoff, with Guardiola using him mostly as an impact substitute since returning to action in mid-October.
    Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Private-sector sources, including the university’s sentiment survey, provide a partial substitute amid the blackout.
    Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The problem is that the objective optimized by the algorithm is good for the people who control the means of prediction…but not good for the rest of society.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Then Vice President Cheney condemned those behind the torture scandal, while at the same time defending water-boarding as a useful means of extracting vital intelligence (many intelligence experts say water-boarding is torture, and its victims will say anything to avoid further abuse).
    Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • For years, younger generations have flocked to big cities for better job opportunities, leaving a dwindling elderly population in rural villages.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Instead of pursuing chances to pitch reboots of Hollywood’s most beloved properties, scraping the bottom of the barrel might afford you more opportunities to make films that truly feel your own.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • And for traveling aesthetes, great-looking new hotels, restaurants, wineries, and galleries might make the Algarve even more desirable.
    Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Egypt and Sudan have competing maps of the border, but because of the crisscrossing of those boundaries, Bir Tawil would belong to whichever nation relinquished its claim on a larger, more desirable area.
    Richard Collett, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • What To Know The Senate passed the funding package by a vote of 60-40, with Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voting against the measure.
    Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025
  • But Williams has put some preventative measures in place ahead of the tour presale to ensure that those who share this experience are in the minority, rather than part of a larger collective of fans being exploited by scalpers and bots.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The school told Fox News Digital that the TPUSA organizers have some recourse.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
  • One potential recourse for the NBA would be awarding the Heat a compensatory first-round pick in 2027, which would allow Miami to trade four first-round picks.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The military plays only an advisory role in the American system, giving input to the president’s deliberations but not otherwise independently adjudicating whether his or her decision is wise.
    Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Kyle Dubas made a very wise move by signing Mantha, who fits in very nicely with this group and is playing high-level hockey.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Expedient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/expedient. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.

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