hasty

[hey-stee]

adjective

hastier, hastiest 

1. moving or acting with haste; speedy; quick; hurried.

   Synonyms: brisk, fleet, fast, rapid, swift
   Antonyms: slow

2. made or done with haste or speed.

   a hasty visit.

3. unduly quick; precipitate; rash.

   a hasty decision.

   Synonyms: headlong, reckless, foolhardy
   Antonyms: deliberate

4. brief; fleeting; passing; slight.

   a hasty glance.

5. impatient; impetuous; thoughtless; injudicious.

   hasty words.

6. easily irritated or angered; irascible.

   a hasty temper.

   Synonyms: irritable, excitable, fiery, touchy, testy

hasty

/ ˈheɪstɪ /

adjective

1. rapid; swift; quick

2. excessively or rashly quick

3. short-tempered

4. showing irritation or anger

   hasty words

Other Word Forms

• hastily adverb
• hastiness noun
• unhasty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hasty¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French hasti, hastif; haste, -ive

Example Sentences

These and other factors “snowballed into a liquidity crisis” — that is, the company needed a hasty infusion of cash.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some natural-gas executives point out that volatility could cut both ways, which makes them wary of making hasty decisions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some travelers say they left children and family members behind with hasty goodbyes; others rushed to fly back to avoid being separated from family in the U.S. if they were unable to re-enter the country.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Lecornu’s hasty departure increases the likelihood that the French President will have to call new elections to break the gridlock.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The hasty turnaround was reflected in Wednesday's court proceedings, when defence lawyers complained they did not have access to classified documents that prosecutors intended to submit as evidence.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• abrupt 
• careless 
• expeditious 
• hurried 
• ill-advised 
• impulsive 
• quick 
• rapid 
• reckless 
• sudden 
• swift 
• urgent 

When To Use

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.