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View synonyms for haste

haste

[ heyst ]

noun

  1. swiftness of motion; speed; celerity:

    He performed his task with great haste. They felt the need for haste.

    Antonyms: sloth

  2. urgent need of quick action; a hurry or rush:

    to be in haste to get ahead in the world.

    Synonyms: urgency, ado, bustle, flurry

  3. unnecessarily quick action; thoughtless, rash, or undue speed:

    Haste makes waste.

    Synonyms: precipitation, precipitancy



verb (used with or without object)

, hast·ed, hast·ing.
  1. Archaic. to hasten.

haste

/ heɪst /

noun

  1. speed, esp in an action; swiftness; rapidity
  2. the act of hurrying in a careless or rash manner
  3. a necessity for hurrying; urgency
  4. make haste
    to hurry; rush
“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


verb

  1. a poetic word for hasten
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈhasteful, adjective
  • ˈhastefully, adverb
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Other Words From

  • hasteful adjective
  • hasteful·ly adverb
  • hasteless adjective
  • hasteless·ness noun
  • un·hasted adjective
  • un·hasting adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of haste1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French from Germanic; akin to Old Frisian hāste, Old English hæst “violence,” Old Norse heifst “hatred,” Gothic haifsts “quarrel”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of haste1

C14: from Old French haste, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse heifst hate, Old English hǣst strife, Old High German heisti powerful
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. make haste, to act or go with speed; hurry:

    She made haste to tell the president the good news.

More idioms and phrases containing haste

In addition to the idiom beginning with haste , also see make haste .
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Synonym Study

See speed.
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Example Sentences

These enterprises clearly have accomplished a lot in their short lives, but in their haste, most have not captured their history, unlike their longer-lived peers in other sectors.

Obviously, there is a plan, even if it is one constructed in haste during Hurney and Mayhew’s first days on the job.

Murdock says that the Diamond rockwall in Rocky Mountain National Park saw it’s busiest season ever, and it’s possible that the increased use could lead climbers to choose a less-familiar route or skip safe practices in their haste.

Don’t be in a haste to rank a rank that will truncate your well-planned efforts.

If you go after low domain authority sites in the interest of haste, you risk hurting your SEO.

Was her coronation as the future queen of pop soul made in haste?

The Cheneys exhibit indecent haste in their attempt at rep rehab.

I knew instantly the statement really was a threat, and why it was passed on with such haste.

In their haste the government wranglers also damaged precious water resources Bundy had worked years to develop.

He showed no signs of haste, nor of fatigue, nor of any human feeling.

Nearly half the regiment ran to secure their picketed horses, armed themselves in hot haste, and galloped to the gaol.

Here there is no question of emergency, or enemy pressure, or of haste; so much we see plain enough with our own eyes.

News came that the rebels were plundering the British quarters, and the infantry went there in hot haste.

Here were the sources (in part) of the Po and of the Rhine, but I was rather in haste to bid the former good-bye.

Make haste, Mr. Lowten,” Perker called out, “we shall have the panels beaten in.

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Related Words

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More About Haste

What does haste mean?

Haste most commonly refers to urgency, such as in completing a task.

It can also be used as another word for speed or swiftness, as in We have to move with haste if we want to make it on time. The phrase make haste means to move quickly, hurry up, or rush.

Often, haste means urgency or speed that is careless or reckless. This is how the word is used in the expression haste makes waste, which means that rushing things leads to mistakes.

The adjective form hasty is most often used in this sense—a hasty decision is one that is thought to have been made too quickly, perhaps leading to negative consequences. The adverb form is hastily.

The verb hasten means to go faster or cause to go faster, as in We need to hasten our efforts.

Example: In my haste to finish the project, I forgot to put my name on it.

Where does haste come from?

The first records of the word haste come from the 1200s. It’s related to the Old English hæst, “violence,” the Old Norse heifst, “hatred,” the Gothic haifsts, “quarrel,” and the Old High German heisti, “powerful.”

Haste is most often used in a negative way, but not as negative as a word like hatred. Most of the time, haste implies that something was simply done too fast, leading to mistakes.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to haste?

  • hasty (adjective)
  • hastily (adverb)
  • hasteful (adjective)
  • hastefully (adverb)
  • hasten (verb)

What are some synonyms for haste?

What are some words that share a root or word element with haste

What are some words that often get used in discussing haste?

How is haste used in real life?

Haste is less commonly used than many of its synonyms, such as urgency.

 

 

Try using haste!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of haste?

A. speed
B. rapidity
C. thoroughness
D. urgency

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.

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hastateHaste makes waste