hurried

hurried — adjective

1. Done faster than normal, often too fast to allow enough care or attention — for

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

Done faster than normal, often too fast to allow enough care or attention — for example, a hurried meal eaten in five minutes, or a hurried decision made without checking the facts.

Example

Zayd only had time for a hurried breakfast before catching the train.

attributive: hurried + [meal/food noun]

The manager signed the contract after a hurried glance at the details.

collocation: hurried glance

Common collocations
  • hurried breakfast
  • hurried lunch
  • hurried meal
  • hurried decision
  • hurried glance
  • hurried note
  • hurried goodbye
  • hurried departure
  • hurried visit
  • hurried way
  • hurried manner
Synonyms
  • rushed

    Very close in meaning; slightly more informal and common in everyday speech

  • hasty

    Stronger — often implies the result was bad because not enough thought was given

  • quick

    Neutral — describes speed without the negative sense of 'too fast'

Antonyms
  • leisurely

    Done without hurry, taking as much time as needed

  • careful

    Done with attention to detail, not rushed

  • thorough

    Covering everything needed without skipping steps

Grammar Patterns

hurried + noun (task, decision, communication)

Usage Note

Frequently used before nouns that describe tasks, written messages, or choices made with limited time. Predicative use (e.g. *The meal was hurried*) is much less common in natural English; the attributive position is strongly preferred.

Common Mistakes

She ate a hurriedly breakfast.
She ate a hurried breakfast.
'hurried' is an adjective before a noun; 'hurriedly' is an adverb used with verbs, e.g. 'She ate hurriedly.'

2. Moving or acting with speed, often because there is not enough time — for exampl

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

Moving or acting with speed, often because there is not enough time — for example, hurried footsteps that suggest someone is late, or a hurried pace that shows urgency.

Example

We could hear Nikhil's hurried footsteps coming down the stairs.

collocation: hurried footsteps

The nurse moved with hurried steps from one patient to the next.

collocation: hurried steps

Common collocations
  • hurried footsteps
  • hurried steps
  • hurried pace
  • hurried movements
  • hurried walk
  • hurried breathing
  • hurried manner
Synonyms
  • rapid

    More formal; describes speed without the sense of being under time pressure

  • swift

    Suggests smooth, efficient speed; often used in writing

  • brisk

    Energetically fast, often with a sense of purpose rather than stress

Antonyms
  • slow

    The most general opposite, describing a relaxed pace

  • unhurried

    Deliberately calm and not rushed

  • leisurely

    Relaxed and taking as much time as wanted

Grammar Patterns

hurried + noun (movement, pace, action)

Usage Note

Commonly modifies nouns for body movement or pace (*steps*, *footsteps*, *pace*, *movements*, *breathing*). Unlike sense 1, this sense focuses on the physical speed of the person rather than the quality of a task.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something done in a short time, but they differ in tone and emphasis. 'Hurried' is neutral-to-slightly-negative: it simply describes speed caused by time pressure ('a hurried goodbye'). 'Rushed' is very close but more informal and often suggests carelessness ('a rushed job'). 'Hasty' carries a stronger negative meaning — it implies that the rush caused a bad outcome ('a hasty decision that cost the company money'). 'Quick' is neutral and positive; it describes speed without the sense of 'too fast' ('a quick shower'). Use 'hurried' when you want to describe speed resulting from lack of time, without judging whether the result was good or bad.

hurried ↗rushedhastyquick ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

uncertain originEnglish

The adjective 'hurried' comes from the verb 'hurry', which first appeared in English in the late 1500s. The origin of 'hurry' is uncertain — it may come from an old word 'hory' meaning 'to rush' or from the sound of rushing movement. The suffix '-ed' turns the verb into an adjective describing something that has been done in a hurry or is marked by hurry.