hasty
Americanadjective
-
moving or acting with haste; speedy; quick; hurried.
- Antonyms:
- slow
-
made or done with haste or speed.
a hasty visit.
-
unduly quick; precipitate; rash.
a hasty decision.
- Antonyms:
- deliberate
-
brief; fleeting; passing; slight.
a hasty glance.
-
impatient; impetuous; thoughtless; injudicious.
hasty words.
-
easily irritated or angered; irascible.
a hasty temper.
adjective
-
rapid; swift; quick
-
excessively or rashly quick
-
short-tempered
-
showing irritation or anger
hasty words
Usage
What does hasty mean? Hasty most commonly means too fast and often careless. Synonyms include rash, rushed, or hurried. The noun haste most commonly refers to urgency, such as in completing a task. Haste can also be used as another word for speed or swiftness. But haste also commonly 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. This is usually how hasty is used. Being too hasty when doing something is thought to lead to mistakes. A hasty decision is one that is thought to have been made too quickly, often leading to negative consequences. A hasty generalization involves jumping to broad conclusions by judging something too quickly. Hasty can also mean brief or moving with or done with speed, as in a hasty visit. The adverb hastily can simply mean rapidly but is usually used to mean carelessly, rashly, or too quickly. Example: Don’t be too hasty when decorating the cake—take your time and do it properly.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of hasty
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French hasti, hastif; see haste, -ive
Explanation
Hasty means speedy and brash. If you try to make a hasty exit after breaking up with someone, you’ll seem like a jerk. Hasty, meaning “speedy, quick,” first came onto the scene in the mid 14th century. Later, it found itself paired with pudding to form hasty pudding, a dessert that only takes a short amount of time to make. Note that hasty, unlike fast, has negative connotations. If someone accuses you of having completed an assignment in a hasty fashion, it means your work appears careless.
Vocabulary lists containing hasty
A Need for Speed: Synonyms for "Fast"
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Vocabulary from the Songs of The Spice Girls
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"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" by Katherine Anne Porter
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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.
Hasty taxpayers could be leaving money on the table because of overlooked deductions and credits.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Given wild intraday market gyrations, to catch a market downswing you may have to act quickly—but beware: Hasty moves can lead to costly errors, says Ed Slott, president of Ed Slott & Co.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
Hasty regime change could lead to a messy transition, he warned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Hasty Pudding Theatricals will host a roast for Keoghan and present him with his pudding pot.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2024
Hasty is far advanced in her pregnancy and is presumed to have been conveyed away by some person, as she could not undergo the fatigue of traveling.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
