expedient
Definitions
Convenient and practical, though sometimes improper or self-serving.
权宜的；方便的（有时含不顾原则之意）
A means of achieving a particular end, especially a quick or convenient one.
权宜之计；应急办法
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom the same ex- (out) + ped (foot) = 'freeing the foot.' What frees the foot lets you move forward quickly — so 'expedient' is whatever is handy and gets you moving, even if it isn't the most principled choice.
Root ped still carries 32 more wordsWhy It Means This
Expedient carries a faint moral shadow. It often suggests choosing what is convenient over what is right: 'a politically expedient decision' means one made because it's easy or useful, not because it's just. The foot is freed to move — but where it moves may not be the high road.
Common Collocations
- 1.politically expedient政治上权宜的
- 2.most expedient最省事的
- 3.expedient solution权宜的解决方案
- 4.expedient measure应急措施
Example Sentences
- 1.
Cutting corners may be expedient now but costly later.
- 2.
They chose the most expedient route rather than the safest one.
- 3.
Lying seemed an expedient way out of an awkward situation.