rapidly

rapidly — adverb

1. at a very quick rate or speed — used to describe actions, movements, or changes

1.adverbB2
Definition

at a very quick rate or speed — used to describe actions, movements, or changes that happen in a short amount of time

Example

The city's population has grown rapidly over the past ten years.

collocates with grown (population growth)

Tunde rapidly scanned the room, looking for an empty seat before the lecture started.

mid-position before main verb

Common collocations
  • grow rapidly
  • change rapidly
  • develop rapidly
  • increase rapidly
  • beat rapidly
Synonyms
  • quickly

    the most common and neutral alternative; works in all registers and covers both speed and promptness

  • swiftly

    slightly more literary or formal; suggests smooth, effortless motion

  • fast

    informal and versatile; can be used as both adjective and adverb

Antonyms
  • slowly

    the direct opposite; suggests low speed or gradual pace

  • gradually

    emphasises step-by-step change rather than overall speed

Grammar Patterns

grow/change/develop + rapidly

so + rapidly + that

Usage Note

Rapidly typically appears in mid-position (between the subject and the main verb, or after an auxiliary verb) or at the end of a clause. It is especially common with verbs that describe change, speed, or measurable increase, such as grow, change, develop, rise, expand, spread, and beat.

Common Mistakes

She rapidly finished her dinner.
She quickly finished her dinner.
Rapidly describes the rate of a continuous process, while quickly can refer to completing an action without delay.

Word family

  • rapid
    adjectiveB1
  • rapidity
    nounC1
  • rapidness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

Rapidly, quickly, and swiftly all describe speed, but with different overtones. Rapidly emphasises the rate or pace of a process (e.g., 'the disease spread rapidly') and is common in formal or technical contexts. Quickly is the broadest of the three — it covers both speed of movement and promptness of action ('she quickly replied to the email'). Swiftly suggests smooth, uninterrupted motion and has a slightly literary feel ('the boat moved swiftly across the lake'). Fast is the most informal and versatile, working as both adjective and adverb ('a fast car' and 'drive fast'). Promptly is different in focus: it means 'without delay' rather than 'at great speed' ('the ambulance arrived promptly').

quickly ↗swiftly ↗fast ↗promptly

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • very rapidly
  • quite rapidly
  • too rapidly
  • so rapidly
  • increasingly rapidly

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Rapidly comes from the adjective rapid, which entered English in the early 1600s from French rapide or directly from Latin rapidus (meaning 'seizing, swift, rapid'). The adverb-forming suffix -ly was added to create the adverbial form.