/ ɪkˈspiːdiənt; NAmE / noun , adjective
■ noun
an action that is useful or necessary for a particular purpose, but not always fair or right :
The disease was controlled by the simple expedient of not allowing anyone to leave the city.
■ adjective
[ not usually before noun ] ( of an action ) useful or necessary for a particular purpose, but not always fair or right :
The government has clearly decided that a cut in interest rates would be politically expedient.
OPP inexpedient
► ex·pe·di·ency / -ənsi; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
He acted out of expediency, not principle.
► ex·pe·di·ent·ly adverb
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Latin expedient- extricating, putting in order, from the verb expedire extricate (originally by freeing the feet), put in order, from ex- out + pes , ped- foot. The original sense was neutral; the negative sense, implying disregard of moral considerations, dates from the late 18th cent.