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high-speed

high-speed

100 3.2
Able to work or move much faster than normal
  • adjective
  • /haɪ-spid/
translation icon : de alta velocidad
  • Ours is a world of 24-hour news cycles, global markets, and high-speed Internet.
  • high-speed Internet
  • high-speed train
  • high-speed rail

I love theme parks like I love high speed rides and being whisked around.

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Examples

  • Limited access to a high-speed Internet connection makes use of certain kinds of websites frustratingly slow.

    Academic text (2015)
  • It would be much better if the high speed rail went through New Haven.

  • Or should there be more of a role of public transportation and high speed rail and things like that?

  • I like insane high speed Internet you know.

  • After all, we do not cruise at high speed in daylight hours.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And next to her is a new piece of technology, which is a high speed image intensifier.

  • This is about trains in China right now, they've been several high speed trains in record time.

  • If you look closely, this is advertised as a high speed cable with Ethernet.

  • And then with a bang, its high-speed motor kicks in, shutter flying.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The new high-speed train will cut travel time between cities significantly.

Synonyms

fast
vshigh-speed
1.0

Moving or happening quickly

is about operating at a very quick rate rather than brief quickness
rapid
vshigh-speed
295 1.3

Happening very quickly

is about things built or designed to run very quickly
swift
vshigh-speed
118 1.4

Moving or happening very quickly

is focused on operation at a very quick rate rather than graceful motion
speedy
vshigh-speed
70 1.8

Moving or happening very quickly with little delay

is about being built or designed to work at very quick rates
lightning fast
vshigh-speed
  • Informal
6 3.6

Happening or moving very quickly

is steady very quick movement rather than sudden shocking quickness
high-velocity
vshigh-speed
5 5.7

Moving or working much faster than similar things

is a general description of operating very quickly without comparison
superfast
vshigh-speed
1 3.2

Moving or working much faster than usual

is a general very quick term without implying extreme excess
ultrafast
vshigh-speed
1 3.9

Much quicker than normal for the same thing

is a general very quick term not always much faster than average
ultrarapid
vshigh-speed
  • Specialized
1 4.8

Very fast, especially in science and medicine

is a general very quick word used across everyday language not technical
lightspeed
vshigh-speed
  • Informal
4.9

Happening or done extremely fast

is literal quick action rather than exaggerated figurative quickness

Antonyms

slow
  • Informal
8 1.0

At a low speed

How Fast

supersonic
12 6.7
ultrafast
1 3.9
high-speed
100 3.2
rapid
295 1.3
fast
1.0

Surface Forms

high-speed positive
higher-speed comparative
highest-speed superlative

Morphology

high-speed = high + speed (transparent) = high + speed

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'high' + 'speed' meaning 'very fast' and will be clear to learners who know both components.

Etymology

The word high-speed joins high, which means 'large' or 'at a high level', and speed, which means how fast something moves. So it describes something that moves or works at a 'very fast' rate.