swift suggests great rapidity coupled with ease of movement.
returned the ball with one swift stroke
fleet adds the implication of lightness and nimbleness.
fleet runners
quick suggests promptness and the taking of little time.
a quick wit
speedy implies quickness of successful accomplishment
speedy delivery of mail
and may also suggest unusual velocity.
hasty suggests hurry and precipitousness and often connotes carelessness.
a hasty inspection
expeditious suggests efficiency together with rapidity of accomplishment.
the expeditious handling of an order
Examples of speedy in a Sentence
They wished her a speedy recovery.
a speedy worker but not a very careful one, unfortunately
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And his first step is quick enough to blow by speedy guards, creating the separation needed to find his teammates.—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025 Simpson, the speedy rookie who has been a weapon on the bases, made a mental error that kept the Rays from taking a third-inning lead.—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 July 2025 But even though there were two outs, the speedy Simpson held up and waited to see if Rafaela would make the grab, and that hesitation proved crucial when the center fielder popped up and threw out Aranda at third base to end the inning.—Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 13 July 2025 The 29-year-old left winger is speedy, skilled and creative.—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for speedy
Word History
Etymology
Middle English spedi "beneficial, unencumbered, agile, prompt," from sped "luck, success, assistance, rate of progress" + -i-y entry 1 — more at speed entry 1
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