precipitately
- adverb
- /prɪˈsɪpɪtɪtli/
- Formal
- This paper, therefore, rather than attempt to prescribe any grand design, falls precipitately from the lofty metaphysics of Faust to the more mundane world of international economic relations.
- so precipitately
Examples
-
Spending cannot be contained by cutting services to whites precipitately because that would encourage white flight and endanger social cohesion.
Academic text (1996) -
I have never known why she did this so senselessly, so precipitately, so obviously near to my grandmother's death.
Fiction book (2001) -
They were meeting over the network, all of them people who had expressed desires not to abandon the base so precipitately.
Fiction book (2001) -
Next followed Pompey Curry, who, on being let loose, precipitately fled, was fired upon, and badly wounded, but escaped with his life.
Blog text (6) -
Most of Harmon's thirty-three-man column "retreated precipitately."
Academic text (2008) -
Teel would not have risked jeopardizing her disguise by acting precipitately.
Fiction book (1991) -
She left the meeting precipitately, not considering the implications of her decision.
-
The storm arrived so suddenly that we had to evacuate precipitately.
-
They concluded the negotiation precipitately, missing important details.
Synonyms
At a fast speed or without delay
Quickly and without warning
In a very short time
In a sudden way that gives no warning
Quickly and smoothly
In a quick, careless way
Acting quickly with little care
Very quickly and suddenly, often causing a large change
Act quickly because you suddenly want to, without thinking first
Quickly and without careful thought
In a very quick and careless way without thinking
Act quickly without thinking about the bad results
As quickly as possible
Very quickly and in a worried or excited way
Suddenly and without thinking carefully
Happening very quickly
In a very short time
Antonyms
How Hasty
Surface Forms
Morphology
precipitately = precipitate (transparent) = precipitate + ly
Formed by the adjective 'precipitate' plus the productive adverbial suffix '-ly', so the meaning is predictable from the base.
Etymology
Precipitately comes from Latin parts prae- ('before' or 'forward') and caput ('head'), giving the picture of going 'headfirst' or falling quickly into something. So, to act precipitately is to do something very quickly and without careful thought.