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

The Potential Impact On The Renewable Energy Sector A hasty reduction in corporate tax rates could derail the administration’s broader economic agenda by limiting investments in renewable energy, a sector pivotal to U.S. energy dominance. —George Strobel, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Chicago taxpayers are once again being asked to shoulder the burden of an increase in debt and hasty decision-making. —George Cardenas, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025

There’s also always the risk that financial need and stress lead people to make hasty decisions when something too good to be true is offered. —Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025

But as Manchester City found with their hasty spending spree, the mid-season market offers the unsavoury choice of panic-buying at premium prices or engaging with other clubs seeking to offload their problems, generally on loan. —Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 5 Feb. 2025

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