precipitate 1 of 3

adjective

pri-ˈsi-pə-tət How to pronounce precipitate (audio)
Definition of precipitatenext
as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed the army's precipitate withdrawal from the field of battle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

precipitate

2 of 3

noun

pri-ˈsi-pə-tət How to pronounce precipitate (audio)
1
as in result
a condition or occurrence traceable to a cause the exodus from the cities was an unexpected precipitate of the automobile, which effectively shrank distances

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sediment
matter that settles to the bottom of a body of liquid the chemist filtered out the precipitate from the solution

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precipitate

3 of 3

verb

pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtāt How to pronounce precipitate (audio)
as in to rain
to fall as water in a continuous stream of drops from the clouds the air mass was dry, as much of the moisture had precipitated out on the other side of the mountains

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective precipitate contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of precipitate are abrupt, headlong, impetuous, and sudden. While all these words mean "showing undue haste or unexpectedness," precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.

the army's precipitate withdrawal

When is it sensible to use abrupt instead of precipitate?

Although the words abrupt and precipitate have much in common, abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.

an abrupt refusal

When is headlong a more appropriate choice than precipitate?

While the synonyms headlong and precipitate are close in meaning, headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.

a headlong flight from arrest

When would impetuous be a good substitute for precipitate?

The words impetuous and precipitate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.

an impetuous lover proposing marriage

When can sudden be used instead of precipitate?

The meanings of sudden and precipitate largely overlap; however, sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.

flew into a sudden rage

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of precipitate
Adjective
These include the threat to Europe’s auto industry from China, made worse by the European Union’s precipitate race to force an EV new car monopoly by 2035. — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025 Some summertime seeding occurs in clouds that would not normally precipitate. — Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Noun
The polyester precipitates from the solvent upon cooling, and can likewise be reused. — New Atlas, 26 Nov. 2025 When atmospheric rivers are pushed upward, the water vapor cools, condenses and precipitates. — Amy Graff, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Verb
Deravi, Dou, and their collaborators have since spent months developing a new method to quickly precipitate crystals from solutions with varying proportions of salt, water, and acids. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026 Their letter precipitated the launch of the Manhattan Project and, six years later, the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. — Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for precipitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precipitate
  1. hurried
  2. result
  3. sediment
  4. rain
  5. rushed
  6. resultant
  7. deposition
  8. pour
Adjective
  • Chandler Simpson put down a squeeze bunt and Mateo beat third baseman Kevin McGonigle’s hurried flip to the plate.
    — Dave Hogg, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Chandler Simpson put down a squeeze bunt and Mateo beat third baseman Kevin McGonigle's hurried flip to the plate.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of hurried
Noun
  • That result allows the cell to be classified as all-solid-state under the Chinese standard.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The result looks less like a blade simply ground into shape and more like a form sculpted directly from solid steel.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of result
Noun
  • Clark says large, sediment-laden floods in this region have been increasing in number over the last decade or so, and warming temperatures appear to be part of the cause.
    — Thor Benson, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Generally, in high-altitude environments such as mountain ranges, permafrost—basically, frozen soil—holds sediment and rocky material together.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of sediment
Verb
  • For Badosa and Kasatkina, that meant warming up to play Tuesday morning, getting delayed for hours due to rain, and finally starting to play Tuesday night.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • And just last week, decaying Tropical Storm Iselle left plenty of tropical moisture to rain across Central California.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of rain
Adjective
  • The teen’s family has said this was a rushed judgment that did not involve a thorough enough investigation.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • The rushed and botched release of Apple Intelligence made clear that Apple's AI strategy wasn't fully fleshed out.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz,Zev Fima, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Definition of rushed
Noun
  • Ilie and Ghodla modeled the environment in which the resultant black hole seeds would exist and merge, calculating merger rates and the influence on the gravitational wave background.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • No other spacecraft has ever descended into the moon’s shadowy south polar craters, although NASA did crash a rocket into one in 2009 and watched a resultant plume of water vapor burst out.
    — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of resultant
Noun
  • In a deposition, the house manager testified there was nothing the staff could do if the child refused his medication.
    — Jacques Billeaud, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Daniel and Lisa’s legal team pushed for Bohm to give a deposition on July 27 and July 30 — days the Phillies were not in Philadelphia.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of deposition
Verb
  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pouring billions of dollars into developing a domestic tech ecosystem under his Vision 2030 program, even as some mega-projects are delayed.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • They have been ordered to pour three thousand cubic yards of concrete and install a million pounds of rebar.
    — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of pour

Browse Nearby Words

precipices
precipitate
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Cite this Entry

“Precipitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precipitate. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on precipitate

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about precipitate

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