rushed

Rushed is the past tense form of rush and also an adjective. As a verb, rushed describes the act of moving quickly or forcing something to happen in a short period. As an adjective, rushed describes something done in a hurry, often under time pressure and with less care or deliberation than usual.

As a verb: She rushed to catch the bus. The building project was rushed to meet the deadline. As an adjective: a rushed decision; a rushed publication; a rushed schedule.

The term often implies pressure, haste, or imperfect consideration. In evaluative contexts, rushed outcomes tend to be described as flawed due to insufficient time for review or reflection. In everyday use, it signals a lack of thoroughness or care that can accompany tight timelines or competing priorities.

Related terms include hurried, hasty, and rapid, with subtle differences. Hurried or rushed can imply external pressure or a sense of being pushed to finish quickly; hasty emphasizes impulsiveness or quickness without enough deliberation; rapid focuses on speed, not necessarily implying poor quality. In specific domains, such as music, a rushed tempo describes timing that is faster than indicated, potentially altering rhythm and phrasing.