posthaste

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌpoʊstˈheɪst/ UK /ˌpəʊstˈheɪst/ See IPA manual

adv

Meanings

1

adv
with all possible speed; very quickly

The messenger rode posthaste to deliver the urgent dispatch.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · with all possible speed;... quickly speedily rapidly swiftly hastily promptly

Opposites

slowly leisurely

Word family

Etymology

From the phrase 'post haste,' originally an instruction on letters meaning 'with speed of the post,' combining post ('mail courier') and haste.

posta Italian haste Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

# posthaste

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adv
**IPA (US):** ˌpoʊstˈheɪst
**IPA (UK):** ˌpəʊstˈheɪst

## Meanings
1. with all possible speed; very quickly

## Examples
- The messenger rode posthaste to deliver the urgent dispatch.

## Synonyms
- quickly
- speedily
- rapidly
- swiftly
- hastily
- promptly

## Antonyms
- slowly
- leisurely

## Related Forms
- post
- haste
- hasty

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: posta
- Root: haste

## Etymology
From the phrase 'post haste,' originally an instruction on letters meaning 'with speed of the post,' combining post ('mail courier') and haste.

## AI Etymology
Posthaste is from the phrase 'post haste,' originally an instruction on letters meaning 'with speed of the post,' combining post ('mail courier') and haste. Important recorded forms include posta (Italian) and haste (Old French). The modern sense follows that older lexical line closely. In current use it covers with all possible speed; very quickly. The wider family includes related words such as post, haste, and hasty.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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posthaste

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