Adjacent Words

Expedient definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EXPE'DIENT, a. [L. expediens; expedio, to hasten; Eng. speed.]
1. Literally, hastening; urging forward. Hence, tending to promote the object proposed; fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances. Many things may be lawful, which are not expedient.
2. Useful; profitable.
3. Quick; expeditious. [Not used.]
EXPE'DIENT, n. That which serves to promote or advance; any means which may be employed to accomplish an end. Let every expedient be employed to effect an important object, nor let exertions cease till all expedients fail of producing the effect.
1. Shift; means devised or employed in an exigency.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: serving to promote your interest; "was merciful only when mercy was expedient" [ant: inexpedient]
2: appropriate to a purpose; practical; "in the circumstances it was expedient to express loyalty" n
1: a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin expedient-, expendiens, present participle of expedire to extricate, prepare, be useful, from ex- + ped-, pes foot — more at foot Date: 14th century 1. suitable for achieving a particular end in a given circumstance 2. characterized by concern with what is opportune; especially governed by self-interest • expediently adverb Synonyms: expedient, politic, advisable mean dictated by practical or prudent motives. expedient usually implies what is immediately advantageous without regard for ethics or consistent principles <a politically expedient decision>. politic stresses judiciousness and tactical value but usually implies some lack of candor or sincerity <a politic show of interest>. advisable applies to what is practical, prudent, or advantageous but lacks the derogatory implication of expedient and politic <sometimes it's advisable to say nothing>. II. noun Date: 1630 something expedient ; a temporary means to an end Synonyms: see resource

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 advantageous; advisable on practical rather than moral grounds. 2 suitable, appropriate. --n. a means of attaining an end; a resource. Derivatives: expedience n. expediency n. expediently adv. Etymology: ME f. L expedire: see EXPEDITE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Expedient Ex*pe"di*ent, n. 1. That which serves to promote or advance; suitable means to accomplish an end. What sure expedient than shall Juno find, To calm her fears and ease her boding mind? --Philips. 2. Means devised in an exigency; shift. Syn: Shift; contrivance; resource; substitute.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Expedient Ex*pe"di*enta. [L. expediens, -entis, p. pr. of expedire to be expedient, release, extricate: cf. F. exp['e]dient. See Expedite.] 1. Hastening or forward; hence, tending to further or promote a proposed object; fit or proper under the circumstances; conducive to self-interest; desirable; advisable; advantageous; -- sometimes contradistinguished from right. It is expedient for you that I go away. --John xvi. 7. Nothing but the right can ever be expedient, since that can never be true expediency which would sacrifice a greater good to a less. --Whately. 2. Quick; expeditious. [Obs.] His marches are expedient to this town. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(expedients) 1. An expedient is an action that achieves a particular purpose, but may not be morally right. Surgical waiting lists were reduced by the simple expedient of striking off all patients awaiting varicose vein operations... N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of -ing 2. If it is expedient to do something, it is useful or convenient to do it, even though it may not be morally right. Governments frequently ignore human rights abuses in other countries if it is politically expedient to do so. ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

eks-pe'-di-ent (sumphero):

The Greek word translated "expedient" (sumphero) means literally, "to bear or bring together"; with a personal reference, "to be well or profitable." In the New Testament it never means "profitable" or "convenient" as opposed to what is strictly right. It is translated "expedient" (Joh 11:50, "it is expedient for us," the Revised Version (British and American) "for you"; Joh 16:7, "It is expedient for you that I go away," i.e. "profitable," "for your good," 18:14; 1Co 6:12; 10:23; 2Co 8:10; 12:1). In Mt 19:10, instead of "not good to marry," the Revised Version (British and American) has "not expedient." The modern sense of "expediency" as "hastening" or "acceleration," is not found in the New Testament, any more than its bad sense of "mere convenience." "Nothing but the right can ever be expedient" (Whately).

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Fit, proper, suitable, advisable, desirable (in view of an end proposed). 2. Advantageous, profitable, useful, for one's advantage, for one's interest. II. n. Shift, resource, resort, contrivance, means.

Moby Thesaurus

action, ad hoc measure, advantageous, advisable, agency, answer, applicable, appropriate, apropos, art, artful dodge, artifice, auspicious, banausic, becoming, befitting, behind-the-scenes influence, beneficial, benevolent, blind, bon, bonny, braw, bueno, capital, chicanery, cogent, commendable, commodious, congruous, conspiracy, contrivance, convenient, correct, countermove, coup, course of action, craft, cute trick, deceit, decent, demarche, dernier ressort, design, desirable, device, devices, dodge, effective, effort, elegant, employable, estimable, excellent, expediency, expedients, fair, fakement, famous, favorable, feasible, feint, felicitous, fetch, fine, fit, fitten, fitting, fortunate, fructuous, functional, gambit, game, gimmick, going between, good, good for, goodly, grand, grift, happy, healthy, helpful, hope, improvisation, influence, instrument, instrumentality, intermediation, intrigue, judicious, jugglery, jury-rig, jury-rigged expedient, kind, knavery, last expedient, last resort, last shift, laudable, likely, little game, lucky, machination, machinery, makeshift, maneuver, maneuvering, maneuvers, manipulation, means, measure, mechanism, mediation, medium, meet, move, nice, noble, of general utility, of help, of service, of use, opportune, pertinent, pis aller, pleasant, plot, ploy, politic, political influence, possible, practicable, practical, pragmatic, pragmatical, profitable, proper, propitious, providential, prudent, racket, recommendable, recommended, recourse, red herring, refuge, regal, resort, resource, right, ripe, royal, ruse, scheme, seasonable, seemly, service, serviceable, shake-up, shift, skillful, sleight, solution, sortable, sound, splendid, step, stopgap, stratagem, strategy, stroke, stroke of policy, substitute, subterfuge, suitable, tactic, tactical, tactical maneuvers, tactics, temporary expedient, timely, to be desired, trick, trickery, trump, useful, utilitarian, valid, very good, virtuous, well-timed, wile, wily device, wire-pulling, wise, working hypothesis, working proposition, worthwhile