expeditious
adjective
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The Real Root of Expeditious
Expeditious has had quite the journey through the English language. It comes to us from the related noun expedition, which in turn comes from the Latin verb expedire (“to set free” or “to make ready”). When expedition first set forth in English in the 1400s, it did so with two meanings that are still in use today, “a journey especially by a group of people for a specific purpose” and “efficient promptness.” Expeditious later followed as an adjectival form of the latter. Something (such as, say, preparation for a long voyage) done expeditiously is done quickly and efficiently; in other words, it is expedited. Like expeditious and expedition, expedite too comes from expedire.
Examples of expeditious in a Sentence
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 June 2024
But that would have been awkward and not the most expeditious way of accomplishing the task.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 23 Feb. 2024
Separately, Creech has two state appeals that were argued on an expeditious timeline before the Idaho Supreme Court on Monday.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2024
Responding to this critique, some government proposals encourage expeditious AI development.
—Alondra Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 12 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for expeditious 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expeditious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near expeditious
Cite this Entry
“Expeditious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expeditious. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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expeditious
adjective
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