What does hastener mean?
A hastener is a person, thing, or circumstance that encourages something to happen more quickly. The word is especially associated with urging action or increasing the pace of a process, as in a firm deadline or an effective reminder serving as a hastener. Its meaning is therefore broader than simply “a device”: it can be an agent that prompts greater speed, a mechanism that accelerates work, or a situation that discourages delay. Hastener is uncommon and has a somewhat literary tone, so in everyday speech “something that speeds things up” or “a reminder” will often sound more natural. The word belongs to the family of haste, hasten, hasty, and hastily, all expressing the ideas of speed, promptness, or urgency. Its unusual sound makes it memorable, while its straightforward agentive ending clearly signals that the thing named is meant to hasten a process.
nounA hastener is a person or thing that causes or encourages something to happen more quickly. It can also refer to someone who urges others to act with greater speed or promptness.
- A person or thing that makes something happen more quickly or urges greater speed.
"With the deadline approaching, a clear schedule became the team's most effective hastener."
"A firm deadline can be a useful hastener for a hesitant committee."
"The warning bell acted as a hastener, bringing the meeting promptly to order."
Used when referring to more than one person or thing that hastens a process or encourages quicker action.
"Frequent reminders acted as useful hasteners for the research team."
Hastener is a brisk little word for anything that sets a slow process in motion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hastener come from?
Hastener is an English agent noun formed by adding the suffix -er to hasten, literally meaning “one who or that which hastens.” Hasten came into Middle English through Old French hastier and is related to haste. The same English family includes the noun haste and the adjective hasty, with hastily formed from hasty.
Related word forms
How hastener is actually used
Hastener is uncommon and somewhat literary. It may describe a person who encourages prompt action, a device that accelerates a process, or a circumstance or measure that prompts speed. The plural is rarely needed in modern usage.