hasty
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /hˈeɪsti/
US
- /ˈheɪsti/
Description
- done too quickly
- rushed
- impulsive
- without enough thought
If you make a hasty decision, you do not take enough time to think it through. You just jump in. Picture a chef trying to flip pancakes too fast and ending up with a burnt, messy breakfast. That is a hasty action. The word can also describe something done in a hurry, like a hasty retreat from danger. Think of a startled deer running for cover. This word often has a negative feeling, suggesting that speed came before care or good judgment.
The word hasty describes something done too quickly, often without enough thought, care, or planning. It suggests more than simple speed. It usually means someone acted in a rush and may have made mistakes because they did not slow down and think first. Imagine building a table in a hurry and forgetting to tighten the screws. The work is fast, but it is also careless. That is the feeling hasty often carries.
You can use hasty for decisions, actions, movements, and responses. A hasty decision is made before all the facts are clear. A hasty reply is spoken or written before the person has fully thought about the words. A hasty meal might be eaten so quickly that there is no time to enjoy it. A hasty retreat or escape means people leave quickly because they feel pressure, fear, or danger.
The word often has a negative tone because it points to poor judgment or lack of care, but the context matters. Sometimes a hasty action happens because there is no time to spare. Even then, the word still suggests urgency and limited thought. In stories and everyday life, hasty choices often lead to problems, regret, or the need to do something again more carefully later.
In short, if something is done in too much of a hurry and without enough thought, it is hasty.
Examples
- 1
Travel decision
He made a hasty decision and booked the cheapest flight.
- 2
Digital messages
I sent a hasty text and immediately wished I had rewritten it.
- 3
Premature judgment
The manager warned us not to jump to hasty conclusions.
Phrase
jump to conclusions
decide something before you know enough
- 4
Avoiding blame
Let's not be too hasty about blaming anyone yet.
Pattern
be hasty about + action/topic
act or decide too quickly about it
- 5
Quick exit
When the storm got worse, we made a hasty retreat to the car.
Phrase
make a hasty retreat
leave quickly because the situation feels dangerous or bad
Forms and spellings
3 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- hastyadjective
Forms
- hastiercomparativeadjective
- hastiestsuperlativeadjective