好词典

expedient

UK //ɪkˈspiːdiənt//US //ɪkˈspiːdiənt//

词源

源自拉丁语 'expedientem'(正在解脱的),由'ex-'(出)和'pes'(脚)组成,原意为'解脱双脚',引申为'方便'、'有利'。

adjective

❶ 指某事物或行为虽然可能不道德或不理想,但在特定情况下是方便、实用或有利的,常带有权宜之计的含义。

“It might be expedient to delay the meeting until we have more information.”

(推迟会议直到我们掌握更多信息可能是权宜之计。)

“The government took expedient measures to calm the public.”

(政府采取了权宜措施来安抚公众。)

同义词:convenient, practical, advantageous, useful, opportune

noun

❶ 指在特定情况下采用的权宜手段或临时解决办法,通常是为了应对紧急情况或达到短期目标。

“The new policy was just an expedient to deal with the immediate crisis.”

(新政策只是应对当前危机的权宜之计。)

“They used every possible expedient to finish the project on time.”

(他们用尽一切可能的权宜手段来按时完成项目。)

同义词:measure, device, stratagem, makeshift, stopgap

常见短语

politically expedient — 指在政治上有利或方便的行为或决策,通常暗示可能牺牲原则或长期利益来获得短期政治优势。

“The senator's change of position was clearly politically expedient.”

(参议员改变立场显然是出于政治上的权宜考虑。)