rapidly
Americanadverb
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within a short period of time.
There are thousands of languages spoken in the world today, but many of them are rapidly approaching obsolescence and extinction.
-
with great speed; swiftly.
Bats are more likely than birds to detect rapidly spinning turbine blades and avoid flying into them.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rapidly
Explanation
When you do something rapidly, you do it very quickly. A rapidly moving train is going at full speed. You may notice that the grass in your yard grows rapidly during the rainy summer days and more slowly when there's a heat wave. You might also get a speeding ticket for driving too rapidly in a school zone. In either case, something's happening fast. The adverb rapidly comes from the adjective rapid, "moving quickly," with the Latin root rapidus, "hasty, swift, fierce, or impetuous."
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.
While the MV Hondius outbreak is serious, the rarity of the virus and the highly specific set of circumstances don’t currently indicate a broader threat likely to spread rapidly across multiple ships.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
They also face an onslaught from Chinese carmakers, whose rapidly advancing technical prowess and low production costs pose major risks to global rivals.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
This has helped push analysts to rapidly raise their profit forecasts for the balance of the year.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
It was powerful enough to cause a "very tiny kettle" in a vial to boil off a small amount of water rapidly, says Han.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
“What does the sun do?” asked Brooklyn, her dislike of heights rapidly returning.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
