rapid

[rap-id]

See more synonyms for rapid on Thesaurus.com

adjective, sometimes rap·id·er, rap·id·est.

occurring within a short time; happening speedily: rapid growth.
moving or acting with great speed; swift: a rapid worker.
characterized by speed: rapid motion.

noun

Usually rapids. a part of a river where the current runs very swiftly.

Origin of rapid

First recorded in 1625–35, rapid is from the Latin word rapidus tearing away, seizing, swift. See rape¹, -id⁴

Related formsrap·id·ly, adverbul·tra·rap·id, adjectiveul·tra·rap·id·ly, adverb

Can be confusedfast quick rapid swift (see synonym study at quick)

Synonyms for rapid

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2. See quick.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for rapid

breakneck, hasty, brisk, fast, speedy, expeditious, swift, flying, prompt, express, active, precipitate, ready, fleet, screaming, agile, hurried, lively, mercurial, nimble

Examples from the Web for rapid

Contemporary Examples of rapid

The rapid rise of the sharing economy is changing the way people around the world commute, shop, vacation, and borrow.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB?
Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman
December 30, 2014
He experienced a rapid rise, only beginning to play cricket competitively at age 11.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player
William O’Connor
December 24, 2014
In some ways, the rapid spread of the virus there should not be surprising.
Millions Promised for Ebola Not Adding Up
Abby Haglage
November 25, 2014
The loss of whitebark and the rapid increase in human-killed grizzlies are synchronous.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear
Doug Peacock
November 23, 2014
The country was building houses at a rapid clip, which required a large amount of immigrant labor.
Legal but Still Poor: The Economic Consequences of Amnesty
Joel Kotkin
November 21, 2014

Historical Examples of rapid

A rapid walk soon restored the maidens to their own peaceful homes.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
They were on the bank of a stream of some width, and apparently a deep and rapid one.
Harriet, The Moses of Her People
Sarah H. Bradford
We regret that his tours are so rapid, and his journals so brief.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
She heard him speaking in a voice not louder than a whisper, rapid, distinct.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
The way was open; the access was free; the progress as rapid as thought could make it.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King

British Dictionary definitions for rapid

rapid

adjective

(of an action or movement) performed or occurring during a short interval of time; quicka rapid transformation
characterized by high speedrapid movement
acting or moving quickly; fasta rapid worker

Word Origin for rapid

C17: from Latin rapidus tearing away, from rapere to seize; see rape 1

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

Word Origin and History for rapid

adj.

1630s, "moving quickly," from French rapide (17c.) and directly from Latin rapidus "hasty, swift, rapid; snatching; fierce, impetuous," from rapere "hurry away, carry off, seize, plunder," from PIE root *rep- "to snatch" (cf. Greek ereptomai "devour," harpazein "snatch away," Lithuanian raples "tongs"). Meaning "happening in a short time" is from 1780. Related: Rapidly; rapidness. Rapid-transit first attested 1852, in reference to street railways; rapid eye movement is from 1906.