rapid

[ rap-id ]
See synonyms for: rapidrapidsrapidly on Thesaurus.com

adjective,sometimes rap·id·er, rap·id·est.
  1. occurring within a short time; happening speedily: rapid growth.

  2. moving or acting with great speed; swift: a rapid worker.

  1. characterized by speed: rapid motion.

noun
  1. Usually rapids . a part of a river where the current runs very swiftly.

Origin of rapid

1
First recorded in 1625–35, rapid is from the Latin word rapidus “tearing away, seizing, swift”; see rape1, -id4

synonym study For rapid

2. See quick.

Other words from rapid

  • rap·id·ly, adverb
  • ul·tra·rap·id, adjective

Words Nearby rapid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rapid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rapid

rapid

/ (ˈræpɪd) /


adjective
  1. (of an action or movement) performed or occurring during a short interval of time; quick: a rapid transformation

  2. characterized by high speed: rapid movement

  1. acting or moving quickly; fast: a rapid worker

Origin of rapid

1
C17: from Latin rapidus tearing away, from rapere to seize; see rape 1

Derived forms of rapid

  • rapidly, adverb
  • rapidity (rəˈpɪdɪtɪ) or rapidness, noun

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