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swiftness

swiftness

5 2.9
Great speed in moving or acting
  • noun
  • /ˈswɪftnəs/
translation icon : rapidez
  • The swiftness of the river's current made it dangerous for inexperienced swimmers.
  • certainty and swiftness

You're sucking down dry glizzies with a swiftness too.

Examples

  • Shorn knelt beside the body and searched with practiced swiftness.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Word of the French arrival off the coast of Georgia spread through the lowcountry with incredible swiftness and served as a catalyst for both Loyalists.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Go with care, my sons... ...and return with swiftness.

  • The birds died with increasing swiftness.

  • The staff is not known for swiftness of performance, even on the dullest days.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Orders may be relayed down this chain of command with surprising swiftness, if the conditions are right.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Perhaps the true surprise, then, was the swiftness with which the establishment accepted that these sculptures were indeed African.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Swiftness translates into streamlined decision-making and the ability to shift resources on a moment's notice.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The athlete's swiftness allowed him to finish the race far ahead of his competitors.

  • We were surprised by the swiftness with which the help arrived after the storm.

Synonyms

speed
vsswiftness
1.0

How fast someone or something moves

is the shared quick quality rather than only the measured rate
pace
vsswiftness
409 2.0

How fast someone or something moves

focuses on the quick quality rather than the neutral notion of rate
haste
vsswiftness
65 3.4

Very quick action that often causes mistakes

describes quickness without implying urgency or careless action
quickness
vsswiftness
11 2.8

Ability to move the body very fast and with good control

is the same quick quality but without emphasis on agility
fast pace
vsswiftness
10 2.5

A speed that is quicker than usual for a task or activity

covers the general quick quality rather than a relative rate comparison
rapid pace
vsswiftness
6 2.9

A speed of progress much faster than usual

is the general quality of moving very quickly, not just relative speed
lightning speed
vsswiftness
6 3.4

Very fast movement that happens almost instantly

describes the same fast quality but without extreme intensity
rapidity
vsswiftness
6 4.6

Very fast movement, action, or change

is the general quality of moving or happening very quickly
fleetness
vsswiftness
1 6.8

Quick and light movement that makes someone move fast

highlights speed without implying ease of movement
celerity
vsswiftness
  • Formal
1 9.9

Great speed when moving or doing something

is the broad condition of moving or happening very quickly
briskness
vsswiftness
1 3.5

A quick, lively way of moving or speaking

expresses plain speed without the lively energy component
rapidness
vsswiftness
3.6

The speed at which something moves or happens

refers to the same quick state as a general trait
speediness
vsswiftness
2.8

How fast something happens or is done

expresses the general idea of happening very quickly
instancy
vsswiftness
9.9

Quick action that happens immediately

highlights fast movement rather than immediate occurrence timing
instantaneousness
vsswiftness
8.9

Happening immediately without any delay

refers to quickness over time rather than instant occurrence
immediateness
vsswiftness
8.1

Happening right away with nothing in between

means moving or happening very quickly rather than simply no delay

Antonyms

5 1.1

A state when something moves or happens less quickly than usual

How Fast

rapidity
6 4.6
swiftness
5 2.9
speed
1.0
slowness
5 1.1

Surface Forms

swiftness singular
swiftnesses plural

Morphology

swiftness = swift (transparent) = swift + ness

Standard nominalization of the adjective 'swift' with '-ness' yields the meaning 'the quality of being swift', which is directly predictable.

Etymology

Swiftness comes from the old English word swift, which means 'moving quickly' and is also the name of a fast bird called a swift. So swiftness is the quality of being quick or able to move fast.