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expedient

adj
/ɪkˈspiːdi.ənt/

Etymology

From Middle English expedient, from Old French expedient, from Latin expediens (stem expedient-), present participle of expedire (“to bring forward, to dispatch, to expedite; impers. to be profitable, serviceable, advantageous, expedient”), from ex (“out”) + pēs (“foot, hoof”).

  1. derived from expediens
  2. derived from expedient
  3. inherited from expedient

Definitions

  1. Suitable to effect some desired end or the purpose intended.

    • Most people, faced with a decision, will choose the most expedient option.
    • Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter willnot come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
    • Nothing but the right can ever be the expedient, since that can never be true expediency which would sacrifice a greater good to a less.

  2. Affording short-term benefit, often at the expense of the long-term.

    • Government has slowly but positively moved from an active course of following plans and policies to the easier and more expedient course of the counterpuncher.

  3. Governed by self-interest, often short-term self-interest.

  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. Expeditious, quick, rapid.

      • the adverse winds / Whose leisure I have stay'd, have given him time / To land his legions all as soon as I; / His marches are expedient to this town / His forces strong, his soldiers confident.

    2. A method or means for achieving a particular result, especially when direct or efficient

      A method or means for achieving a particular result, especially when direct or efficient; a resource.

      • To secure such a market, there is no other expedient, than to promote manufacturing establishments.
      • He would never let her know that he was aware of the strange expedient to which she had been driven by her great distress.
      • Depressingly, [...] the expedient of importing African slaves was in part meant to protect the native American population from exploitation.

The neighborhood

Derived

expediently, inexpedient, unexpedient

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at expedient. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01expedient02expense03notion04whatever05regardless06warnings07warning08warn09advise

A definitional loop anchored at expedient. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

9 hops · closes at expedient

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA