All 3 Uses of
expedient
in
1776, by McCullough
- The ever-obliging North suggested that in view of the situation in America, it might no longer be regarded as a rebellion, but as a "foreign war," and thus "every expedient" might be employed.†
p. 7.9expedient = convenient, speedy, or practical; or an action that is speedy or practical
- The hiring of foreign troops was an "alarming and dangerous expedient."†
p. 12.9
- The second is intelligence, which must be strong and fertile in expedients.†
p. 23.4 *expedients = actions that are speedy, practical, or convenient
Definitions:
-
(1)
(expedient) convenient and practical, but sometimes not the best or most moral choice
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, expedient can also imply that an action was taken for reasons of self-interest rather than for moral reasons.
In the sense of speedy, the word is less commonly used today than in the past; though it may still be used as in "an expedient end" or "an expedient amount of time," or "We are depending upon your expediency."