rapidly

American  

[rap-id-lee] / ˈræp ɪd li /

adverb

1. 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.

2. with great speed; swiftly.

   Bats are more likely than birds to detect rapidly spinning turbine blades and avoid flying into them.

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Other Word Forms

• ultrarapidly adverb

Etymology

Origin of rapidly

rapid ( def. ) + -ly

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

And in a market where AI capability is rapidly becoming the primary differentiator for hardware, software and services, being late isn’t fashionable — it’s existential.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

“Seeing that he sold it out and had a second show really shows how our culture has spread rapidly across America,” Gill said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to block the new plan on an emergency basis, and rapidly calendared the case for oral argument.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

The big problem hydrogen faces is that making it from electricity currently uses far more energy that just storing that energy in a battery - and battery technology is advancing rapidly.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Once she realized the funny marks stood for sounds, she progressed rapidly.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• briskly
• expeditiously
• fast
• immediately
• promptly
• speedily
• swiftly