expedient

adjective ex·pe·di·ent \ ik-ˈspē-dē-ənt \

Updated on: 7 Dec 2017

Definition of expedient

1 : suitable for achieving a particular end in a given circumstance

2 : characterized by concern with what is opportune; especially : governed by self-interest

—

expediently

adverb

See expedient defined for English-language learners

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Examples of expedient in a Sentence

Marley found it expedient to maintain social relationships with gunmen and politicans from both political parties. —Robert Palmer, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 1994
The marble floor … gave the hall the aspect of a cathedral, and the walls were decorated with aphorisms such as Cicero's THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE IS THE HIGHEST LAW, a phrase he found curiously—or at least potentially—expedient in what was certainly designed as a temple to the idea of law. —Tom Clancy, Patriot Games, 1987
Under political pressure and at the urging of Jefferson, Madison finally (but grudgingly) admitted that a bill of rights might help, over time, to instill in the people a greater respect for "the fundamental maxims of free government." But even as he was sheparding the first amendments through Congress, in 1789, he privately described them (amazingly enough) as a "nauseous project," required only for expedient reasons of politics. —Jack N. Rakove, Atlantic, December 1986
They found it expedient to negotiate with the terrorists.
Do the right thing, not the expedient thing.

Recent Examples of expedient from the Web

Memories about creating characters and voices (everything from Miss Piggy to Pepe the King Prawn has a backstory) spark more voices and stories over the course of the film's expedient hour-long run-time.

— jake kring-schreifels, Esquire, "These Are the Real People Behind Your Favorite Muppets," 14 Mar. 2017
Still there is something familiar, and reassuring, in their politically expedient pact.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Paul Ryan and Stephen Bannon Join Forces to Cut Taxes for the Rich," 19 Jan. 2017
The facts no longer matter, only what is politically expedient, sensationalistic, and designed to confirm the preexisting opinions of a large audience.

— the washington post, The Mercury News, "Roger Ailes, architect of conservative TV juggernaut Fox, is dead at 77," 18 May 2017
But one wishes here, as elsewhere, that Johnson Sirleaf’s biographer would reckon directly with the president’s responsibility for her more expedient choices, rather than depicting her as a victim of circumstance.

— jina moore, New York Times, "A Woman in Charge: A Biography of Liberia’s President," 17 Mar. 2017
Moore repeatedly exposed himself to intense hostile fire to insure the proper and expedient deployment of friendly troops.

— the washington post, The Denver Post, "Hal Moore, Army general in “We Were Soldiers,” Crested Butte executive dies at 94," 14 Feb. 2017
So this isn’t at all the cheap or expedient way to go, and for that the Yorks have to be credited after going cheap or expedient in so many previous important moments.

— tim kawakami, The Mercury News, "A bungled start to the 49ers’ new era–the Yorks fire Baalke and Kelly, and it’s just as awkward as ever," 1 Jan. 2017
Mr. Kaplinsky and other backers of arbitration argue that the private legal system is a more expedient way to resolve disputes.

— jessica silver-greenberg and michael corkery, New York Times, "What an Arbitration Clause Looks Like," 5 May 2016
Many legal experts have suggested that the most expedient way to provide reparations to Guatemalan victims is through legislation rather than litigation, perhaps via a public fund such as the one for victims of Tuskegee or 9/11 first responders.

— sushma subramanian, Slate Magazine, "Worse Than Tuskegee," 26 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'expedient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of expedient

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin expedient-, expendiens, present participle of expedire to extricate, prepare, be useful, from ex- + ped-, pes foot — more at foot

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First Known Use: 14th century

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expedient Synonyms

Synonyms

advisable, desirable, judicious, politic, prudent, tactical, wise

Antonyms

impolitic, imprudent, inadvisable, inexpedient, injudicious, unwise

Related Words

advantageous, beneficial, profitable; useful, utilitarian; feasible, possible, practicable, practical; opportune, seasonable, timely; opportunistic, self-seeking

Near Antonyms

impractical, profitless, unfeasible, unprofitable; inopportune, unseasonable, untimely

Synonym Discussion of expedient

expedient, politic, advisable mean dictated by practical or prudent motives. expedient usually implies what is immediately advantageous without regard for ethics or consistent principles.

- a politically expedient decision

politic stresses judiciousness and tactical value but usually implies some lack of candor or sincerity.

- a politic show of interest

advisable applies to what is practical, prudent, or advantageous but lacks the derogatory implication of expedient and politic.

- sometimes it's advisable to say nothing

expedient

noun ex·pe·di·ent \ ik-ˈspē-dē-ənt \

Definition of expedient

: something done or used to achieve a particular end usually quickly or temporarily : an expedient action or solution

See expedient defined for English-language learners

Examples of expedient in a Sentence

In 1882, racing to meet the deadline on Life on the Mississippi, he [Mark Twain] boasted to W.D. Howells that he had managed to churn out 9,500 words in a day, having resorted to the old hack's expedient of copying out large chunks from other people's books … —Jonathan Raban, Times Literary Supplement, 21–27 Sept. 1990
The Viet Cong taught the peasants to dig cave shelters under the sleeping platforms rural Vietnamese cover with mats of woven straw and use as beds. This expedient gave the peasants a handy shelter right inside the house, unless that house happened to be one of those set afire by the napalm or the white phosphorus, called Willy Peter in U.S. military idiom. —Neil Sheehan, A Bright Shining Lie, 1988
For government is an expedient, by which men would fain succeed in letting one another alone; and, as has been said, when it is most expedient, the governed are most let alone by it. —Henry David Thoreau, "Civil Disobedience," 1849
For it is plain that every word we speak is in some degree a diminution of our lungs by corrosion, and consequently contributes to the shortening of our lives. An expedient was therefore offered, that since words are only names for things, it would be more convenient for all men to carry about them such things as were necessary to express the particular business they are to discourse on. —Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels, 1726
The government chose short-term expedients instead of a real economic policy.
We can solve this problem by the simple expedient of taking out another loan.

Recent Examples of expedient from the Web

Martin wrote: Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders.

— joanna robinson, vanityfair.com, "Game of Thrones: The Explosive New Conflict Hiding in George R.R. Martin’s Original Outline," 8 Aug. 2017
That Trump could, out of personal pique, treat him so rudely now suggests to those conservatives how cynically expedient was Trump’s adoption of Sessions’s ideas in the first place.

— charles krauthammer, National Review, "The Consequences of the Sessions Affair," 27 July 2017
Instead, observers assume that Mr Abe considers the timing expedient, for several reasons.

— The Economist, "Hope springsJapan’s prime minister may regret calling an early election," 30 Sep. 2017
When that happens, focusing on outsiders — identifying who is not part of the nation, rather than who is — can seem an expedient shortcut.

— amanda taub, New York Times, "Myanmar Follows Global Pattern in How Ethnic Cleansing Begins," 18 Sep. 2017
Doing the nine covers, however, was much more expedient.

— gary graff, Billboard, "The Wailin' Jennys Share Gorgeous Cover of Tom Petty's 'Wildflowers': Premiere," 12 Sep. 2017
All have been happy to use the EU as a punchbag when expedient.

— The Economist, "CharlemagneThe new Czech leader is not leading an anti-Europe uprising," 26 Oct. 2017
To be the leader means taking responsibility and doing the right thing—not the easy or the expedient thing.

— harry kraemer, Fortune, "How the London License Ban Could Help Uber’s New CEO," 25 Sep. 2017
Both have shown a comfort with saying what is expedient in the moment, while making choices that promote their own idealized images of their brand.

— lauren stiller rikleen, Fortune, "Why Women Need to Stop Believing in Ivanka Trump," 1 Sep. 2017

Origin and Etymology of expedient

see ¹expedient

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1630

See Words from the same year

expedient Synonyms

Synonyms

makeshift, stopgap

Related Words

quick fix; recourse, refuge, resort; alternate, backup, standby, stand-in, substitute, understudy

Synonym Discussion of expedient

resource, resort, expedient, shift, makeshift, stopgap mean something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply. resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon.

- exhausted all of their resources
- a last resort

expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

- a flimsy expedient

shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient.

- desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference.

- old equipment employed as a makeshift

stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure.

- a new law intended only as a stopgap

EXPEDIENT Defined for English Language Learners

expedient

adjective

Definition of expedient for English Language Learners

: providing an easy and quick way to solve a problem or do something

expedient

noun

Definition of expedient for English Language Learners

: an easy and quick way to solve a problem or do something : an expedient solution

EXPEDIENT Defined for Kids

expedient

adjective ex·pe·di·ent \ ik-ˈspē-dē-ənt \

Definition of expedient for Students

: providing a quick and easy way to accomplish something

an expedient solution

—

expediently

adverb

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expedient

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