expediency
Choosing what works
Expediency is the quality of being useful or advantageous for achieving a particular purpose, often with the implication that ethics or principles are being set aside.
When someone acts out of expediency, they're choosing what works over what's right: The decision was made purely out of political expediency.
The word carries a note of moral compromise—expedient solutions get results but may cut corners or ignore longer-term consequences.
Concern for personal advantage
- calculationMathematical problem-solving process
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- schemingCrafty and calculating
manipulation · cunning · shrewdness · tactics · strategizing · realpolitik · Machiavellianism · shortcuts
Indispensable requirement
- imperativeUnavoidably necessary
- pressingRequiring immediate attention
- crucialOf supreme importance
- emergencySerious sudden danger
time-sensitive · deadline · immediate · priority · critical · exigency · haste · swift
Lack of strain
- accessibilityEase of approach
- handinessEase of use
- availabilityState of being obtainable
- simplicityLack of complexity
usability · serviceability · comfort · suitability · readiness · practicality · functionality · facilitation
Maximizing efficiency or performance
- streamliningMaking more aerodynamic or efficient
- effectivenessSuccess in producing results
- productivityOutput relative to input
- performanceCarrying out a task
automation · systematization · time-saving · economy · cost-effective · resourceful · utilization · workflow
Quality of being useful
- realismAccepting things as they are
- utilitarianismGreatest-happiness moral theory
- sensiblenessPractical good judgment
- reasonablenessQuality of being fair-minded
rationality · commonsense · judiciousness · levelheadedness · matter-of-factness · no-nonsense · soundness · wisdom
Yielding a point
- trade-offExchange requiring sacrifice
- accommodationShelter or housing provided
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- middle-groundIntermediate position between extremes
flexibility · settlement · negotiation · give-and-take · bargaining · sacrifice · deal-making · conciliation
self-interest
Concern for personal advantage
- calculationMathematical problem-solving process
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- exploitationSelfish use of others
scheming · manipulation · cunning · shrewdness · tactics · strategizing · realpolitik · Machiavellianism · shortcuts · unscrupulousness
necessity
Indispensable requirement
- imperativeUnavoidably necessary
- pressingRequiring immediate attention
- crucialOf supreme importance
emergency · time-sensitive · deadline · immediate · priority · critical · exigency · haste · swift · fast-track
ease
Lack of strain
- accessibilityEase of approach
- handinessEase of use
- availabilityState of being obtainable
simplicity · usability · serviceability · comfort · suitability · readiness · practicality · functionality · facilitation · manageability
optimization
Maximizing efficiency or performance
- streamliningMaking more aerodynamic or efficient
- effectivenessSuccess in producing results
- productivityOutput relative to input
performance · automation · systematization · time-saving · economy · cost-effective · resourceful · utilization · workflow · lean
practicality
Quality of being useful
- realismAccepting things as they are
- utilitarianismGreatest-happiness moral theory
- sensiblenessPractical good judgment
reasonableness · rationality · commonsense · judiciousness · levelheadedness · matter-of-factness · no-nonsense · soundness · wisdom · down-to-earthness
concession
Yielding a point
- trade-offExchange requiring sacrifice
- accommodationShelter or housing provided
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
middle-ground · flexibility · settlement · negotiation · give-and-take · bargaining · sacrifice · deal-making · conciliation · moderation
- Pragmatismpracticality, utility, realism, efficiency, results
- speedspeed, quickness, rate, velocity, pace
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- selfish traitsselfish, greedy, self-centered, self-absorbed, egotistical
- shoddinessslipshod, slapdash, hack job, botch job, botch
expediencyimpracticality
Being unworkable in reality
infeasibility · futility · ineffectiveness · imprudence · inadvisability
expediencyprinciple
Fundamental truth or standard
integrity · morality · ethics · righteousness · honor
expediencyuntimeliness
Poor timing quality
inopportuneness · inappropriateness · unsuitability · poor timing · injudiciousness
expedient, inexpedient, expedience, expediently, expedients, expediencies