expediency
Americannoun
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the quality of being expedient; advantageousness; advisability.
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a regard for what is politic or advantageous rather than for what is right or just; a sense of self-interest.
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something expedient.
noun
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appropriateness; suitability
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the use of or inclination towards methods that are advantageous rather than fair or just
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another word for expedient
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of expediency
From the Late Latin word expedientia, dating back to 1605–15. See expedient, -ency
Explanation
Expediency gets you what you want. While its tone can be neutral, expediency often suggests self-interest, possibly at the expense of doing what's right. Expediency comes from the word expedient, which derived from the Latin expedientem, meaning "beneficial." The negative aspect of the word came about in the 18th Century, taking on the aspect of doing something in the most convenient and advantageous manner, even though that way might be against conventional ethics. As W. Somerset Maugham once wrote, “The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency.”
Vocabulary lists containing expediency
Trumps
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The Call of the Wild
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The Shakespeare Stealer
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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.
Print and cinema’s strings are being pulled by the grubby, greedy hands of executives who care far more about money and expediency than art and process.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
Whenever we start locking folks up — whether it’s in mental wards or immigration detention centers or jails — we should be careful that expediency isn’t trumping ethics.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
Critics said the move stripped the office of much of its authority, particularly to enforce responsible AI standards, in favor of expediency.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Apple is pacing itself, putting user experience and privacy above expediency.
From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025
In the Icefall, though, expediency dictated that each of us climb independently, without being physically connected to one another in any way.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
