rapid

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

Steep, changing altitude quickly.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

rapuhd

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɹæpəd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

usually in the plural
A rough section of a river or stream which is difficult to navigate due to the swift and turbulent motion of the water.

adjective

Very swift or quick.
Steep, changing altitude quickly. (of a slope)
Needing only a brief exposure time. (of a lens, plate, film, etc.)

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A rough section of a river or stream which is difficult to navigate due to the swift and turbulent motion of the water.

Used this way, rapid is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use rapid

“The company experienced rapid growth in the past few years.”adjective

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Steep

rapid growth

Chess

rapid raterapid change

Other combinations

rapid transitrapid increaserapid developmentrapid progressrapid expansion

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

rapiditynounDerived noun
A rate that is rapid.
rapidlyadverbDerived adverb
With speed.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

rapid eye movementnounCompound term
A recurring sleep state during which dreaming occurs.
rapid eye movement sleepnounCompound term
A recurring sleep state during which dreaming occurs.
rapid growthnounCompound term
A rapid rise.
rapid transitnounCompound term
An urban public transit system using underground or elevated trains.
rapid climbnounCompound term
A rapid rise.
mass rapid transitnounCompound term
An urban public transit system using underground or elevated trains.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

nonrapid eye movementnounRelated term
A recurring sleep state during which rapid eye movements do not occur and dreaming does not occur.
nonrapid eye movement sleepnounRelated term
A recurring sleep state during which rapid eye movements do not occur and dreaming does not occur.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.