hasty
HAY-stee
/ˈheɪsti/
Done or made with excessive speed or urgency; hurried.
Usually negative; implies that speed has led to mistakes or poor judgment.
The story behind the word. Derived from the Old French 'haste', which meant speed or urgency. It entered English after the Norman Conquest and has always carried a slight warning that speed can be dangerous.
Word relationships
- hurried: Hurried is more neutral; hasty almost always implies a lack of care.
- deliberate: Deliberate implies taking time to think, while hasty implies acting without thinking.
Commonly confused with
- quick: Quick is good; hasty is usually bad.
Word family
- haste (noun): Excessive speed.
- hasten (verb): To move or act quickly.
Collocations
- hasty decision
- hasty retreat
- hasty conclusion
Idioms & expressions
- haste makes waste
Example sentences
- "I later regretted my hasty decision to quit my job without having another one lined up." A bad decision.
- "The thief made a hasty retreat when he heard the police sirens." A quick exit.
Memory hook
Hasty rhymes with 'nasty'—a hasty job often turns out nasty. Hasty = Hurried and Sloppy.
When not to use
Don't use it for efficient speed; use 'expeditious' or 'swift' for positive fast actions.
Fun facts
- The phrase 'more haste, less speed' has been a proverb in English since the 1300s.
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