expediency

[ ik-spee-dee-uh n-see ]

/ ɪkˈspi di ən si /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR expediency ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ex·pe·di·en·cies.

the quality of being expedient; advantageousness; advisability.

a regard for what is politic or advantageous rather than for what is right or just; a sense of self-interest.

something expedient.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

expecting, expectorant, expectorate, expectoration, expediate, expediency, expedient, expediential, expeditate, expedite, expediter

Also ex·pe·di·ence.

Origin of expediency

From the Late Latin word expedientia, dating back to 1605–15. See expedient, -ency

Related forms

non·ex·pe·di·ence, nounnon·ex·pe·di·en·cy, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expedience

Still, Clinton gets it, at least theoretically or just as a matter of expedience, and so too does Rubio.
Stock Market America and the Rest of Us|Lloyd Green|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is likely that a similar phenomenon of expedience translating into better health governs other diseases as well.
Why Christmas Is So Deadly|Kent Sepkowitz|December 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I'm making my decisions based on stress and expedience and my gut and who's pouting and who's crying.
Suzy Welch Dishes|Tina Brown|April 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
And thus it was decided, after some indecisive fashion, that their client should be sounded as to the expedience of a compromise.
Lady Anna|Anthony Trollope

Depth of the stitch into the material varies considerably—an indication of expedience rather than ornamentation.
A Burial Cave in Baja California|William C. Massey
What but the expedience of a law that will never be executed?
The Works of Samuel Johnson, Vol. 10.|Samuel Johnson
The problem of expedience of conduct concerned Doctor Svetilovitch but little.
The Created Legend|Feodor Sologub
He didn't allude to her lack of affection for him; he put the matter on grounds of expedience.
The Quaint Companions|Leonard Merrick

British Dictionary definitions for expedience

expediency

expedience

/ (ɪkˈspiːdɪənsɪ) /

noun plural -encies or -ences

appropriateness; suitability

the use of or inclination towards methods that are advantageous rather than fair or just

another word for expedient (def. 3)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012