What does hastiest mean?
Hastiest is the superlative form of the adjective hasty, meaning quickest or fastest in action. It is most often used when people, vehicles, companies, or methods are being compared for speed, as in “the hastiest runner,” although quickest is usually the more everyday choice. The word can also carry the criticism associated with hasty: something described as the hastiest may have been rushed rather than carefully considered. Its somewhat elevated or literary tone makes it useful in formal prose, while fastest or quickest will sound more natural in ordinary conversation. Recognising hastiest mainly requires recognising the root hasty, from which English also derives haste, hasten, hastily, and hastiness. Although the word is not obscure, it adds emphasis and rhythm, especially in comparisons involving a very short deadline or an unusually quick departure.
adjectiveThe superlative of hasty: quickest or fastest in acting or doing something.
- Quickest or fastest in acting, performing, or completing something.
"Of all the runners, Maya was the hastiest off the mark."
"Of all the runners, Maya was the hastiest off the mark."
"The company was the hastiest of the applicants to introduce its new service."
From hasty to hastiest: speed, sharpened to its limit.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hastiest come from?
Hastiest is the superlative of hasty, formed with the suffix -est. The adjective hasty developed in Middle English from haste, which was borrowed into Middle English from Old French haste; the ultimate source of the Old French word was Germanic. The related English forms hasten, haste, hastiness, and hastily all belong to this established word family.
Related word forms
How hastiest is actually used
Hastiest is grammatically the superlative of hasty but is less common than fastest or quickest. It can also retain the critical implication of hasty, suggesting speed without sufficient care.
Easily confused with hastiest
Hastiest is a superlative adjective, whereas hastily is an adverb describing an action performed quickly.