quick

modif.

1. Rapid

   fast, swift, expeditious, fleet; see agile, fast 1.

2. Almost immediate

   posthaste, prompt, instantaneous; see immediate 1.

3. Hasty

   impetuous, mercurial, quick-tempered; see rash.

4. Alert

   ready, prompt, apt, sharp, keen, clever, smart, agile, nimble, lively, responsive, on the ball*; see also active 2, clever 1. See syn. study at agile, fast.

quick, in this comparison, implies ability to respond rapidly as an innate rather than a developed faculty a quick mind; prompt stresses immediate response to a demand as resulting from discipline, practice, etc. or from willingness prompt to obey, a prompt acceptance; ready also implies preparation or willingness and, in another sense, connotes fluency, expertness, etc. a ready sympathy, ready wit; apt, in this connection, implies superior intelligence or a special talent as the reason for quickness of response an apt pupil