hastily

[ heyst-l-ee ]

adverb

1. with haste; rapidly; speedily:

   Late one snowy night in Maryland, moving crews hastily loaded a line of vans and, under cover of darkness, departed the city.

2. without sufficient care or attention:

   This book feels far less potent, and far more hastily written, than the earlier work.

3. unnecessarily quickly or rashly; impetuously:

   Six months earlier, she had hastily married a former high school classmate.

Other Words From

• un·hast·i·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of hastily¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; hasty ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

We were herded into hastily set-up clinics to get shots of gamma globulin, which was thought to boost our immune systems.

From Salon

Former Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the UK’s most senior officer of colour at the time, says the decision to begin a homicide investigation seems to have been made hastily in response to outside pressure.

From BBC

Four years ago, as pundits and politicians predicted the end of the city, an unlikely symbol of resilience emerged: a hastily built wooden platform, in the curb lane outside a restaurant, where people could eat and drink without fear of infection.

From Slate

Some towns, including Lodi in San Joaquin County, are reconsidering bans hastily instituted years ago.

From Los Angeles Times

Critics say the changes have been brought in too hastily and that in some places there is a genuine fear that the vote is not really secret.

From BBC

Related Words

• carelessly
• hurriedly
• nimbly
• prematurely
• promptly
• quickly
• speedily
• suddenly
• swiftly