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

Genuine investment opportunities don’t require hasty decisions. —Lars Daniel, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Once the cops go — a hasty exit that also feels rehearsed — the Brigstockes hold each other. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024

No matter who occupies the Oval Office, the president could end up making a hasty decision without consultation, potentially leading to global catastrophe. —Anthony Lake, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2024

At the same time, rushing into hasty choices can lead to regrets later on. —Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2024

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

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