Vocabulary Builder — Essay & Answer Writing
Expedient
Convenient and practical for a particular purpose, especially in circumstances that make it advantageous even if ethically questionable; a means of achieving a goal, often prioritising short-term utility over principle
Latin expediens — present participle of expedire (to free from entanglement, make ready); ex- (out) + pes/pedis (foot). The sense of 'convenient but possibly improper' developed in English by the 17th century.
"Critics argued that the decision to defer electoral reforms ahead of state assembly elections was politically expedient rather than constitutionally justified."
Particularly valuable for GS-4 (Ethics) and GS-2 (Governance) answers. In GS-4, the tension between what is expedient (practically convenient) and what is ethical is a core theme — examiners test whether candidates understand that public servants must resist expedient shortcuts that compromise integrity. Use in case studies involving bureaucratic decisions under political pressure. In GS-2, use when critiquing policy reversals or ordinance raj — governments issuing ordinances is often described as legislatively expedient but constitutionally suspect. Distinguish from 'pragmatic' (which carries a neutral or positive connotation of practical wisdom) — 'expedient' carries a slight moral caveat, suggesting convenience may have been prioritised over correctness.
