expedient

The adjective expedient describes something that provides an easy way to achieve a goal or result, but it's not necessarily a moral solution.

Politically expedient means something you do to advance yourself politically. Use expedient when you want to hint that a particular solution or strategy has certain benefits and advantages but is not completely fair. However, expedient can also be used as a noun to describe something practical for a particular purpose.

Definitions of expedient
  1. adjective
    appropriate to a purpose; practical
    “in the circumstances it was expedient to express loyalty”
    Synonyms:
    politic
    marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness
  2. adjective
    serving to promote your interest
    “was merciful only when mercy was expedient”
    Synonyms:
    advantageous
    giving an advantage
    convenient
    suited to your comfort or purpose or needs
    advantageous
    appropriate for achieving a particular end; implies a lack of concern for fairness
    opportunist, opportunistic, timeserving
    taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit
    carpetbag, carpetbagging
    presumptuously seeking success or a position in a new locality
    politic
    marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness
    useful, utile
    being of use or service
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    Antonyms:
    inexpedient
    not suitable or advisable
    disadvantageous
    constituting a disadvantage
    inadvisable
    not advisable
    impolitic
    not politic
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  3. noun
    a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one
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    types:
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    make-do, makeshift, stopgap
    something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency
    crutch
    anything that serves as an expedient
    improvisation, temporary expedient
    an unplanned expedient
    last resort, pis aller
    an expedient adopted only in desperation
    type of:
    agency, means, way
    how a result is obtained or an end is achieved
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