Expedient

hard

ik-SPEE-dee-uhnt

adjective

Definition

advantageous or convenient, though sometimes improper

Examples

Rather than do what was right, the manager chose the most expedient course to meet the deadline.
It was politically expedient for the senator to drop the unpopular bill before the election.

Synonyms

advantageousconvenientpoliticadvisable

Antonyms

inexpedientimprudentineffectivedisadvantageous

Categories

GRE Tip

Expedient is a hard-difficulty GRE word. On the GRE, you might see it paired with synonyms like "advantageous" or "convenient" in Sentence Equivalence questions. Look for contrast clues (however, despite, although) that signal the opposite meaning. Words like "inexpedient".

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