hastier; hastiest
1
a
: done or made in a hurry
hasty city-street snapshots—
R. B. Heilman
R. B. Heilman
b
: fast and typically superficial
made a hasty examination of the wound
c
archaic
: rapid in action or movement : speedy
2
: acting too quickly : overly eager or impatient
realized he had been hasty in quitting his job
3
: exhibiting a lack of careful thought or consideration : precipitate, rash
We don't want to make any hasty decisions.
4
: prone to anger : irritable
a hasty temperament
hastiness
noun
Examples of hasty in a Sentence
I made a hasty sketch of the scene.
Seeing the dog, the cat made a hasty retreat up a tree.
We don't want to make any hasty decisions.
He later realized that he was too hasty in his decision to quit.
Recent Examples on the Web
Weiss and his allies were outvoted 4-3 by those wanting a hasty, truncated search.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025
Some of those pages have been restored, with a Pentagon official telling NPR that the military's review of images, stories and social media posts has been too hasty in some respects.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
That could keep markets on edge and monthly returns in the red, but advisers caution savers and investors against making hasty moves out of fear.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025
The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
—Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hasty
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Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025
Some of those pages have been restored, with a Pentagon official telling NPR that the military's review of images, stories and social media posts has been too hasty in some respects.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 21 Mar. 2025
That could keep markets on edge and monthly returns in the red, but advisers caution savers and investors against making hasty moves out of fear.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025
The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.
—Joe Rassel, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hasty
Cite this Entry
“Hasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hasty. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hasty
adjective
hastier; hastiest
1
a
: done or made in a hurry
made a hasty sketch of the scene
b
: fast and often not thorough
made a hasty survey of the problem
2
: acting or done without forethought : rash
3
: quick to anger : irritable
a hasty temper
hastily
adverb
-stə-lē
hastiness
noun
-stē-nəs
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