What does hastening mean?
Hastening is the present participle and gerund of hasten, and it can also be used as a noun for the act of hurrying. As a verb form, it describes movement or action performed with increased speed: “The team spent the afternoon hastening preparations for the launch.” As a gerund, it names that process: “the hastening of the project toward completion.” As a participial adjective, it can modify something moving or acting quickly, as in “hastening footsteps.” The word is common in British and American English and is especially associated with urgency, deadlines, and efforts to bring something forward. Unlike the relatively neutral phrase “speeding up,” hastening can sometimes suggest impatience, pressure, or an undesirable rush. It is therefore useful when the context calls for action directed toward a deadline or when the speed of an event is itself significant.
Hastening means hurrying or causing something to happen more quickly.
"The editor spent the evening hastening the manuscript's publication."
The form is a present participle or gerund of hasten. It is used with an object when describing an action directed toward an earlier completion, and with a subject when describing quick movement or action.
Hastening is the act of hurrying or making something happen sooner.
"The hastening of the deadline left the organizers with little time to prepare."
This use is somewhat more literary than the more common verb form but is standard in formal and descriptive writing.
Hastening describes something moving or acting with urgency or speed.
"They could hear hastening footsteps in the corridor."
This is a participial use and is often found in descriptive or literary contexts.
Hastening is urgency in motion: the deadline, the race against time, and the decision not to wait.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hastening come from?
Hastening is formed from the verb hasten with the present-participle suffix -ing. Hasten is related to haste and hasty and entered English through Middle English from Old French forms meaning “to hurry” or “make haste.” The related words haste, hasty, and hastily preserve the same historical emphasis on speed and urgency.
Related word forms
How hastening is actually used
Hastening is neutral to slightly literary in many uses. It can convey urgency and efficiency, but it may also suggest pressure or impatience, especially when used of people trying to make events occur sooner than is practical.