speedy
Americanadjective
-
characterized by speed; rapid; swift; fast.
- Synonyms:
- quick
-
coming, given, or arrived at quickly or soon; prompt; not delayed.
a speedy recovery.
- Synonyms:
- expeditious
adjective
-
characterized by speed of motion
-
done or decided without delay; quick
Usage
What does speedy mean? Speedy is commonly used to mean prompt or with minimal delay. It’s often used in the phrase speedy recovery, meaning a prompt recovery from an illness or injury. Speedy also means very fast. In this sense, it’s often applied as a nickname for athletes who are very fast and quick. Example: I’d like to thank the customer service team for their speedy resolution to this issue.
Other Word Forms
- overspeedily adverb
- overspeediness noun
- overspeedy adjective
- speedily adverb
- speediness noun
- unspeedily adverb
- unspeediness noun
- unspeedy adjective
Etymology
Origin of speedy
First recorded in 1325–75, speedy is from the Middle English word spedy. See speed, -y 1
Explanation
Speedy means super fast! If you're a speedy driver, you keep your foot on the gas pedal and zip by all the slowpokes. Speedy is also the nickname for a cartoon who is “the fastest mouse in Mexico.” Anything that's speedy moves with rapid speed, whether it's a bullet train or a waiter bringing coffee before you’ve even finished ordering it. If your brother sends you on an errand, he might call, "Be speedy!" especially if you're known for taking your time. The Old English root of speedy is spedig, which curiously means "wealthy." A now old fashioned meaning of "speed," in fact, was "success" or "prosperity.”
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.
“I think that speedy prose is actually pretty timeless. You look at Renata Adler’s ‘Speedboat’ — it’s right there in the title,” Levy said of the 1976 novel.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
To date, Cerebras has three customers and a backlog totaling $25 billion, dominated by a $20 billion cloud contract with OpenAI to run smaller models, such as its speedy Codex-Spark coding models.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
Yet she finished strong with speedy versions of “Juno,” “Espresso” and “Goodbye” into “Tears,” which got an elaborate water show that proved Carpenter can provide the right amount of razzle-dazzle when she wants to.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
He described himself as "speedy, skilful, handsome and destructive".
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Then the nurse gives us both a smile, wishes me a speedy recovery, and goes on his way to check on his other patients.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
