expediency

This term carries a strong tension between efficiency and ethics. While it can describe a neutral, practical advantage, it is most frequently used to describe a decision that prioritizes immediate results or convenience over long-term principles or moral correctness. It often implies a sense of compromise or a "shortcut" taken to resolve a crisis.

Because it describes an abstract quality of action or utility, the word is treated as an uncountable mass noun. It does not have a plural form and cannot be counted with numbers; instead, it is quantified using phrases such as "a matter of" or "a degree of" to specify the extent of the practicality involved.