expedient
Americanadjective
-
tending to promote some proposed or desired object; fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances.
It is expedient that you go.
- Synonyms:
- profitable, advantageous, desirable, appropriate, advisable
- Antonyms:
- disadvantageous
-
conducive to advantage or interest, as opposed to right.
-
acting in accordance with expediency, or what is advantageous.
noun
-
a means to an end.
The ladder was a useful expedient for getting to the second floor.
-
a means devised or employed in an exigency; resource; shift.
Use any expedients you think necessary to get over the obstacles in your way.
- Synonyms:
- resort, contrivance, device
adjective
-
suitable to the circumstances; appropriate
-
inclined towards methods or means that are advantageous rather than fair or just
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonexpedientadjective
-
quasi-expedientadjective
-
unexpedientadjective
-
expedientlyadverb
-
nonexpedientlyadverb
-
quasi-expedientlyadverb
-
unexpedientlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of expedient
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin expedient- (stem of expediēns ), present participle of expedīre. See expedite, -ent
Explanation
The adjective expedient describes something that provides an easy way to achieve a goal or result, but it's not necessarily a moral solution. Politically expedient means something you do to advance yourself politically. Use expedient when you want to hint that a particular solution or strategy has certain benefits and advantages but is not completely fair. However, expedient can also be used as a noun to describe something practical for a particular purpose.
Vocabulary lists containing expedient
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 12, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Expedient for the industry, each has been doomed to failure.
From Scientific American • Oct. 18, 2023
Janelle Cammenga, policy analyst at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, is out with a new report: Sales Tax Holidays: Politically Expedient but Poor Tax Policy 2020.
From Washington Times • Aug. 5, 2020
Expedient in almost any fashion, and expedient in the long run and on the whole, of course; for what meets expediently all the experience in sight won't necessarily meet all farther experiences equally satisfactorily.
From Meaning of Truth by James, William
All Kelirieu's Artifices were at an End, and when he was passionately urg'd by the King, he was at a Loss for any farther Expedient.
From The Amours of Zeokinizul, King of the Kofirans Translated from the Arabic of the famous Traveller Krinelbol by Crébillon, Claude Prosper Jolyot de
Is, then, the difference between the Just and the Expedient a merely imaginary distinction?
From Utilitarianism by Mill, John Stuart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
