ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rapid

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɹæpəd// UK //ɹˈæpɪd// rapid Archaic Dialect General-service Informal

adj. happening very quickly or moving at a high speed. You use this to describe changes, growth, or movement that takes place in a short time.

adj. occurring within a short period of time or characterized by great speed. Often used to describe abstract processes like growth, development, or decline.


SIMPLE

The city is seeing rapid growth this year.

CONTEXTUAL

The patient made a rapid recovery after the doctors adjusted his medication.

COMPLEX

Economists are concerned that the rapid expansion of the housing market may lead to an eventual correction if interest rates continue to rise.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from Middle French rapide and its etymon Latin rapidus.

Usage

Typically precedes the noun it modifies; frequently collocates with 'growth', 'change', and 'success'.

Pitfall

The car was very rapid.The car was very fast.While 'rapid' means fast, it usually describes the speed of a process or change rather than the physical speed of a vehicle or person.

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