expedient
pronunciation
How to pronounce expedient in British English:
UK [ɪkˈspiːdiənt]
How to pronounce expedient in American English:
US [ɪkˈspiːdiənt]
-
- Noun:
- a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one
-
- Adjective:
- serving to promote your interest
- appropriate to a purpose; practical
Word Origin
- expedient (adj.)
- late 14c., "advantageous, fit, proper to a purpose," from Old French expedient "useful, beneficial" (14c.) or directly from Latin expedientem (nominative expediens) "beneficial," present participle of expedire "make fit or ready, prepare" (see expedite). The noun meaning "a device adopted in an exigency, that which serves to advance a desired result" is from 1650s. Related: Expediential; expedientially (both 19c.). Expedient, contrivance, and device indicate artificial means of escape from difficulty or embarrassment; resource indicates natural means or something possessed; resort and shift may indicate either. [Century Dictionary]
Antonym
Example
- 1. It seemed the politically expedient thing to do at the time .
- 2. The waiver will , in the short-term , boost rural incomes at a politically expedient time .
- 3. European governments can prevail , but those in power need to tread very carefully , be emotionally intelligent and make expedient compromises .
- 4. My wagon , simple yet expedient , is the confluence of all my experience , knowledge , and ideas , and is therefore my home .
- 5. ' Due to the abnormally high temperatures and drought , I consider it expedient to introduce a temporary ban on the export from russia of grain and other agricultural products produced from grain , ' mr. putin said at a government meeting .