expedience

noun

ex·​pe·​di·​ence ik-ˈspē-dē-ən(t)s How to pronounce expedience (audio)
Synonyms of expediencenext
: expediency

Synonyms of expedience

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of expedience in a Sentence

the proven expedience of the carrot over the stick in getting the most out of people
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even so, a few of the essays seem shaped by expedience. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025 Trust is built over the long term and best earned by choosing values over expedience when the stakes are highest. — Tima Bansal, Forbes.com, 3 Feb. 2026 The standard for war should not be political expedience. — Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026 That’s a multi-year explanation disguised as the expedience of the half-hour rush that came Monday. — Sam McDowell March 9, Kansas City Star, 9 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for expedience

Word History

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of expedience was in 1548

Rhymes for expedience

See All Rhymes for expedience

Browse Nearby Words

expediate
expedience
expediency
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Expedience.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expedience. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

expedience

noun
ex·​pe·​di·​ence ik-ˈspēd-ē-ən(t)s How to pronounce expedience (audio)
: expediency
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All