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Fast

adj. energetic, capable everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

Covering distance or completing an action in little time.

Reach for it when describing speed in movement, response, or work

A fast handover returned the emergency room to full capacity before noon.

Meaning 2

Firmly fixed so that movement or release is prevented.

Reach for it when using the less common sense found in fixed expressions

The climber checked that the rope remained fast to the anchor.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
playful
everyday
professional
formal
  • Fast (this word)
literary

Meaning 1: Covering distance or completing an action in little time.

  • playful

    speedy

    Fits when friendly, informal praise for prompt service is wanted

    Careful Avoid it in a technical report that needs a measured rate.

  • everyday

    quick

    Fits when a task or response takes little time

    Careful Quick suits a single action better than sustained high speed.

  • professional

    efficient

    Fits when little time or effort is wasted

    Careful Efficiency can be deliberate and slow; it is not proof of raw speed.

  • professional

    prompt

    Fits when the response begins without delay

    Careful Prompt does not say that the work itself was completed rapidly.

  • professional

    rapid

    Fits when measurable change or movement happens at a high rate

    Careful It can sound clinical when praising a lively person.

  • formal

    swift

    Fits when speed combines with decisiveness or grace

    Careful Swift is more polished than natural in casual conversation.

Meaning 2: Firmly fixed so that movement or release is prevented.

  • professional

    secure

    Fits when the attachment is safely held in place

    Careful Secure emphasizes safety, not the older idea of being tightly fixed.

  • literary

    anchored

    Fits when something is attached to a stable base

    Careful Anchored is too specific when no anchor or figurative foundation exists.

Opposites 3

  • slow
  • delayed
  • loose

Common phrases 3

  • fast response

    The fast response kept a small leak from becoming a flood.

  • fast learner

    A fast learner, Ivo mastered the register in two shifts.

  • hold fast

    The repaired bracket will hold fast during strong winds.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated