haste

[ heyst ]

noun

1. swiftness of motion; speed; celerity:

   He performed his task with great haste. They felt the need for haste.

   Antonyms: sloth

2. urgent need of quick action; a hurry or rush:

   to be in haste to get ahead in the world.

   Synonyms: urgency, ado, bustle, flurry

3. unnecessarily quick action; thoughtless, rash, or undue speed:

   Haste makes waste.

   Synonyms: precipitation, precipitancy

verb (used with or without object)

, hast·ed, hast·ing.

1. Archaic. to hasten.

haste

/ heɪst /

noun

1. speed, esp in an action; swiftness; rapidity
2. the act of hurrying in a careless or rash manner
3. a necessity for hurrying; urgency
4. make haste
   to hurry; rush

verb

1. a poetic word for hasten

Derived Forms

• ˈhasteful, adjective
• ˈhastefully, adverb

Other Words From

• hasteful adjective
• hasteful·ly adverb
• hasteless adjective
• hasteless·ness noun
• un·hasted adjective
• un·hasting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haste¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French from Germanic; akin to Old Frisian hāste, Old English hæst “violence,” Old Norse heifst “hatred,” Gothic haifsts “quarrel”

Word History and Origins

Origin of haste¹

C14: from Old French haste, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse heifst hate, Old English hǣst strife, Old High German heisti powerful

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. make haste, to act or go with speed; hurry:

   She made haste to tell the president the good news.

More idioms and phrases containing haste

In addition to the idiom beginning with haste , also see make haste .

Synonym Study

See speed.

Example Sentences

A coat hanging on a wall hook turns out to be one that was left there in haste, with notes between distant lovers still residing in the pockets.

From Los Angeles Times

She sent a letter Monday to the Homeland Security secretary and head of the Coast Guard asking to implement change “with all possible haste.”

From Los Angeles Times

She hasn’t ruled out a future run for statewide office — Porter could be a formidable candidate for attorney general or governor — but feels no haste to decide.

From Los Angeles Times

In her haste and excitement, Judy made a typo: “My step grandmother was married to your grandfather and I how the clocks you are looking for.”

From Los Angeles Times

Beyond more philosophical reflections on our culture of haste, it is worth weighing up the impacts of eating too fast on our health.

From Salon

Related Words

• alacrity
• urgency

More About Haste

What does haste mean?

Haste most commonly refers to urgency, such as in completing a task.

It can also be used as another word for speed or swiftness, as in We have to move with haste if we want to make it on time. The phrase make haste means to move quickly, hurry up, or rush.

Often, haste 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.

The adjective form hasty is most often used in this sense—a hasty decision is one that is thought to have been made too quickly, perhaps leading to negative consequences. The adverb form is hastily.

The verb hasten means to go faster or cause to go faster, as in We need to hasten our efforts.

Example: In my haste to finish the project, I forgot to put my name on it.

Where does haste come from?

The first records of the word haste come from the 1200s. It’s related to the Old English hæst, “violence,” the Old Norse heifst, “hatred,” the Gothic haifsts, “quarrel,” and the Old High German heisti, “powerful.”

Haste is most often used in a negative way, but not as negative as a word like hatred. Most of the time, haste implies that something was simply done too fast, leading to mistakes.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to haste?

• hasty (adjective)
• hastily (adverb)
• hasteful (adjective)
• hastefully (adverb)
• hasten (verb)

What are some synonyms for haste?

• urgency
• speed
• swiftness
• rapidity
• celerity

What are some words that share a root or word element with haste? 

• make haste
• haste makes waste
• posthaste

What are some words that often get used in discussing haste?

• hurry
• rush
• careless
• reckless
• mistake
• make
• waste

How is haste used in real life?

Haste is less commonly used than many of its synonyms, such as urgency.

When I'm checking out a restaurant's menu online, I find that I scroll past the salad section with some haste.

— Tim Foust (@TimFoustMusic) January 30, 2017

In my haste to get to the Convention Centre from the Dáil on Thursday evening I forgot to bring a shirt. It was either go cycling top or not speak at all. I chose to speak about a very important matter. That’s what matters, not what you happen to wear. Up the Reds!! pic.twitter.com/Ekg8dsEDk1

— Gino Kenny TD (@Ginosocialist) November 28, 2020

Today's the last day we're accepting submissions for our identity issue—if you have something you'd like to send us, make haste! ☀️☀️☀️

— The Open Culture Collective (@tocc_) November 30, 2020

 

 

Try using haste!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of haste?

A. speed
B. rapidity
C. thoroughness
D. urgency