expeditious
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of expeditious
First recorded in 1590–1600; exped(ition) + -itious
Explanation
Anything expeditious is speedy and efficient. People like shortcuts because they are expeditious. If you can do things quickly and well, then you're good at being expeditious. In math, there are often many ways to get an answer: the quickest method is the most expeditious. There might be many ways to get home from school, but the fastest is the most expeditious. But there's more to being expeditious than just speed — you have to get a good result too. If you solve a problem quickly but get it wrong, that's not very expeditious.
Vocabulary lists containing expeditious
This Week in Words: November 26 - December 1, 2017
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!
The Tempest
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!
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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.
Expeditious measures are taken, including quarantines that begin with the college campus and the hospital, and soon the entire region is isolated from the rest of the world.
From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2019
Expeditious though he was, he kept Ashe waiting for a considerable time.
From Something New by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
This we learned from famous men Teaching in our borders, Who declarèd it was best, Safest, easiest, and best— Expeditious, wise, and best— To obey your orders.
From Songs from Books by Kipling, Rudyard
Expeditious as they were, they had been none too quick.
From Old Trails on the Niagara Frontier by Severance, Frank H.
DOG-BREAKING; the most Expeditious, Certain, and Easy Method, whether great Excellence or only Mediocrity be required.
From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Vol. I by Darwin, Charles
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.
