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

Still, despite the hasty ending, this splashy comedy deserves to woo grown-ups back to the multiplex.

From Los Angeles Times

He’s so smart about noting the details — tiny glances, awkward smiles — that it’s head-scrambling when he obscures a major plot point under hasty editing and cryptic dialogue.

From Los Angeles Times

The Building Societies Association said it welcomed the Treasury stepping back from making any "hasty decisions" on Isas.

From BBC

Recent history shows that the Supreme Court has regretted hasty decisions rooted in far-right ideology due to the chaos they have unleashed.

From Salon

The legislation was hasty — SB 131 was introduced Friday and then passed on Monday, with little time for input or amendments.

From Los Angeles Times

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.