What does hurried mean?
Hurried describes something done quickly, usually because there is pressure to act before time runs out. It can refer to an action, such as a hurried meal or hurried decision, and it often suggests that attention and care may have been limited. A person may be described as hurried when they seem to be in a rush, although the word can focus more directly on the speed of the action than on the person's emotional state. As the past tense and past participle of hurry, it also describes what someone has done in a rush: she hurried home, or the final decision was hurried. The word is common in everyday British and American English and is especially useful when describing time pressure, rushed preparations, and decisions made without deliberation.
Done or performed quickly, often because of urgency; characterized by haste.
"The team made a hurried attempt to finish the report before the deadline."
Often implies that an action was made under time pressure and may have lacked careful attention.
The past tense and past participle of hurry: to act or move with great speed or urgency.
"We hurried through the station and reached the platform just in time."
This is an inflected verb form rather than a separate lexical verb.
A hurried moment is often remembered not for what happened, but for the feeling that time was running out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hurried come from?
The adjective and past form developed from the English verb hurry. The verb is recorded in Middle English, with older forms including hurie and horye, and ultimately has roots in an Old English word associated with being stirred or excited. The modern form became established with the sense of moving or acting with increased speed. The adjective hurrying and the past form hurried developed within English from this verb, while the related adverb hurriedly follows the usual English pattern of forming adverbs from adjectives ending in -ed.
Related word forms
How hurried is actually used
Hurried commonly suggests both speed and pressure; it can imply that an action was less careful or complete than it might otherwise have been. In formal writing, hurried is often contrasted with deliberate, unhurried, or thorough. The adjective and the past form of the verb are both standard in British and American English.