Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective speedy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of speedy are expeditious, fast, fleet, hasty, quick, rapid, and swift. While all these words mean "moving, proceeding, or acting with celerity," speedy implies quickness of successful accomplishment and may also suggest unusual velocity.

speedy delivery of mail

When can expeditious be used instead of speedy?

The words expeditious and speedy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, expeditious suggests efficiency together with rapidity of accomplishment.

the expeditious handling of an order

How do fast and rapid relate to one another, in the sense of speedy?

Both fast and rapid are very close in meaning, but fast applies particularly to the thing that moves.

fast horses

When could fleet be used to replace speedy?

Although the words fleet and speedy have much in common, fleet adds the implication of lightness and nimbleness.

fleet runners

When is it sensible to use hasty instead of speedy?

In some situations, the words hasty and speedy are roughly equivalent. However, hasty suggests hurry and precipitousness and often connotes carelessness.

a hasty inspection

When is quick a more appropriate choice than speedy?

While in some cases nearly identical to speedy, quick suggests promptness and the taking of little time.

a quick wit

Where would rapid be a reasonable alternative to speedy?

The synonyms rapid and speedy are sometimes interchangeable, but rapid applies to the movement itself, rather than to the thing that moves.

rapid current

When might swift be a better fit than speedy?

While the synonyms swift and speedy are close in meaning, swift suggests great rapidity coupled with ease of movement.

returned the ball with one swift stroke

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 speedy Nvidia had in fact pretty much cornered the market on speedy chips, not just in game consoles but in cars, too. Jim Cramer, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025 He was seen smiling almost out of disbelief as the Dolphins crowd at Hard Rock Stadium cheered for their speedy wide receiver, who acknowledged them as the cart drove to the tunnel. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025 Look for the Spartans to slow the game down with speedy Jaden Jefferson and Duece Jones-Drew running out of the backfield. Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2025 By all indications, the first full day at the San Diego International Airport’s new Terminal 1 went without a hitch Tuesday, with smooth check-in and security zones, bustling concession stands, speedy baggage claim and airy spaces that brightened the moods of travelers. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for speedy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speedy
Adjective
  • Stay open to rapid communication, travel opportunities, or passionate connections.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
  • In this scenario, the rapid spinning movement of the magnetar alters the gamma ray jet.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • What Kentucky House Bill 90 does Freestanding birthing centers, which have soared in popularity around the country in recent years, are separate from hospitals, providing a midwifery model of care with a focus on labor, delivery and the immediate postpartum period.
    Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Tribal nations report no immediate significant effects on services like healthcare and education.
    Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Bitcoin is up about 25% this year, rising as more Wall Street institutions embrace the cryptocurrency and global investors begin to view it as a reputable portfolio allocation and not just a quick trading vehicle.
    Fred Imbert, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Its silicone design sits comfortably on the face, while quick preset modes make treatments simple to fit into daily life.
    Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • About his last Kentucky Derby appearance and his 'swift' horseLooking for a free mini puzzle?
    Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Berhalter set Chicago up to sit deep and then hit on the counter and the approach worked superbly in the first half with Miami enjoying plenty of the ball outside the Fire box but then ripped apart far too easily by swift breaks.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Europe requires a different standard for fast charging.
    Rebecca A. Fannin, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • According to the reseachers, this unified multirate architecture improves responsiveness and stability by preventing faster subsystems from being held back by slower ones and embedding the jets’ dynamics directly into the prediction horizon.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Foreclosure would become nonviable as a means of tax collection — with no readily apparent alternative means for timely collection of the delinquent revenue.
    Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Blanchart made his feature debut with Night Call (Le nuit se traine), a 2024 action crime thriller that gained strong notices not only for its Collateral-like genre thriller but also encompassing timely social commentary.
    Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Vasilas attributes the brisk business to not having a lot of competition for the kind of service Ted’s Clothiers offers.
    Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Leisurely walking, especially for short distances, may not be enough to get the full potential benefit compared with walking longer distances at a brisker pace.
    Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • As his health faded in the last year of his life, Neruda rushed to finish his story, which gives the last chapters of his book a galloping, fragmented quality.
    Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 June 2021
  • Designed by renowned architect Dominique Perrault, its four stories tilting forward are said to evoke a galloping horse.
    Rob Hodgetts at Longchamp, CNN, 15 Oct. 2019

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Cite this Entry

“Speedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speedy. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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