expedience

noun

ex·​pe·​di·​ence ik-ˈspē-dē-ən(t)s How to pronounce expedience (audio)
Synonyms of expediencenext
: expediency

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of expedience in a Sentence

the proven expedience of the carrot over the stick in getting the most out of people
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 2024-25 budget is a prime example of such political expedience. — Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2025 From a criminal justice point of view, the DOJ should not have used political expedience to drive a prosecutorial decision. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025 The actions on Monday stunned current and former prosecutors and investigators who said the department was abandoning a tradition of holding public officials, corporate executives and others accountable for corruption in favor of an approach built on political or economic expedience. — Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025 But to Trump and some of his advisers, the memo had a certain expedience. — Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for expedience

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of expedience was in 1548

Rhymes for expedience

See All Rhymes for expedience

Browse Nearby Words

expedience
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expedience. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

expedience

noun
ex·​pe·​di·​ence ik-ˈspēd-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce expedience (audio)
: expediency
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All