expediency

[ ik-spee-dee-uhn-see ]

noun

, plural ex·pe·di·en·cies.

1. the quality of being expedient; advantageousness; advisability.
2. a regard for what is politic or advantageous rather than for what is right or just; a sense of self-interest.
3. something expedient.

expediency

/ ɪkˈspiːdɪənsɪ /

noun

1. appropriateness; suitability
2. the use of or inclination towards methods that are advantageous rather than fair or just
3. another word for expedient

Other Words From

• nonex·pedi·ence noun
• nonex·pedi·en·cy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of expediency¹

From the Late Latin word expedientia, dating back to 1605–15. See expedient, -ency

Example Sentences

The Trump Administration rolled out the vaccines in record-time through Operation Warp Speed, but the expediency of the process, along with misinformation circulating online, left many dubious of them.

From Salon

There are ripple effects across all the story’s players, touching on many aspects of our justice system, from substandard investigations that seed confirmation bias, to trials driven by political expediency and our need for good stories over the truth.

From Los Angeles Times

On the other hand, said Gisler, under Trump, “the economic and political expediency took precedence over the science a lot of ways.”

From Salon

But Christians must not to let the expediency of a partisan alliance and a desire to win compromise their independence and cloud their moral judgment, he warned.

From Salon

Yet Congress and President Joe Biden banned TikTok in April anyway, choosing political expediency over the hard work of passing and enacting the comprehensive consumer privacy legislation this nation so desperately needs.

From Salon

Related Words

• practicality