expedient
expedient — adjective
- expedientpositive
- more expedientcomparative
- most expedientsuperlative
1. describing a choice or action that helps you achieve a goal quickly or easily, e
describing a choice or action that helps you achieve a goal quickly or easily, even though it may not be completely fair, honest, or morally right.
The government found it politically expedient to delay the new tax until after the election.
politically expedient — common collocation in political contexts
Selim knew that lying would be expedient in the short term, but he chose to tell the truth anyway.
expedient in the short term — temporal scope
The manager took an expedient decision and skipped the usual safety checks.
It was expedient to hire local contractors rather than wait for specialists from overseas.
- convenient
focuses on ease and suitability without the moral dimension
- advantageous
more neutral — suggests benefit without implying moral compromise
- pragmatic
emphasises practical realism rather than moral shortcutting
- opportune
focuses on good timing rather than moral compromise
- principled
guided by moral rules regardless of convenience
- ethical
morally right, not merely practical
文法句型
it is expedient to do something
用法筆記
Often carries a negative or critical tone — the user implies that the action was chosen for convenience rather than because it was the right thing to do. Subject of the judgment is frequently an institution or person in authority.
常見錯誤
expedient — noun
- expedientsingular
- expedientsplural
1. a temporary action or method that you use to solve an immediate problem, especia
a temporary action or method that you use to solve an immediate problem, especially one that is not completely fair or principled.
Raising tuition fees was a short-term expedient that did nothing to fix the university's budget problems.
short-term expedient — common modifier
The committee resorted to the expedient of reducing staff to stay within its budget for the year.
resort to the expedient of + gerund — key grammar pattern
Dario saw the merger as a mere expedient to hide the company's financial losses from the public.
Borrowing money from next month's salary is a dangerous expedient when you already have debts.
- long-term solution
a lasting fix rather than a temporary one
- principle
a moral rule that guides action, as opposed to a convenient shortcut
文法句型
resort to an expedient
use ... as an expedient
用法筆記
Often pluralised (expedients) when listing several temporary measures. Frequently followed by 'of + gerund' to specify the action taken. Common in formal or journalistic writing.