Synonyms of haste

haste

noun

ˈhāst 

1

as in speed

a high rate of movement or performance

made haste to get there on time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• speed
• velocity
• hurry
• rate
• swiftness
• quickness
• celerity
• rapidity
• pace
• fleetness
• speediness
• acceleration
• rapidness
• fastness
• gait
• rush
• tempo
• alacrity
• clip
• hastiness
• expedition
• hustle
• promptness
• precipitation
• promptitude
• dispatch
• drive
• precipitousness
• expeditiousness
• warp speed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slowness
• lethargy
• reluctance
• sluggishness
• languor
• torpor
• torpidity
• deliberation
• deliberateness
• languidness
• procrastination
• leisureliness
• lateness
• dilatoriness
• pokiness

2

as in hustle

excited and often showy or disorderly speed

haste makes waste

in her haste, she forgot her keys

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hustle
• rush
• hurry
• hastiness
• precipitation
• scramble
• speed
• precipitousness
• bustle
• scurry
• swiftness
• dash
• scuttle
• stampede
• stir
• impulsiveness
• quickness
• flutter
• beeline
• rapidity
• flurry
• velocity
• expedition
• rashness
• impetuosity
• impulsivity
• celerity
• promptness
• promptitude
• impetuousness
• dispatch
• whirl
• fleetness
• speediness
• hotheadedness
• expeditiousness
• rapidness
• fastness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deliberation
• slowness
• deliberateness
• procrastination
• lateness
• lethargy
• inertia
• inaction
• languor
• dilatoriness
• sluggishness
• torpor
• inactivity
• inertness
• pokiness
• quiescence
• dormancy
• leisureliness

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun haste contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of haste are dispatch, expedition, hurry, and speed. While all these words mean "quickness in movement or action," haste applies to personal action and implies urgency and precipitancy and often rashness.

marry in haste

How are the words expedition and dispatch related as synonyms of haste?

Expedition and dispatch both imply speed and efficiency in handling affairs but expedition stresses ease or efficiency of performance and dispatch stresses promptness in concluding matters.

the case came to trial with expedition

paid bills with dispatch

When could hurry be used to replace haste?

The words hurry and haste are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hurry often has a strong suggestion of agitated bustle or confusion.

in the hurry of departure she forgot her toothbrush

When can speed be used instead of haste?

The words speed and haste can be used in similar contexts, but speed suggests swift efficiency in movement or action.

exercises to increase your reading speed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of haste

The Belarusian opposition said Lukashenko intended the release of the American prisoner as a message to the West to ease sanctions and that the haste of the election, where there were no international observers, showed that the Belarusian leader felt that his hold on power was fragile. —Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025

Many of the people who were fired were already reinstated, and every decision has been made with haste and justified with misinformation. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025

From a single egg eaten in haste to opulent meals shared freely, Reichert charts her family’s passage through brutality and antisemitism toward a greater understanding of the past. —Norman Weinstein, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Feb. 2025

There are no good answers yet, though, and rushing with undue haste to Mars could result in shortcuts being taken that could greatly increase the risk of contaminating Mars with terrestrial microbes. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 3 Feb. 2025