We hear it all the time in the official environment that “I need this document asap”, or in a more polite form, people ask “Can you do it asap?”
But what is the actual meaning behind it? If your client is saying asap, does that mean he is asking you to rush and he is not concerned about the quality of work? Or does that mean your service provider should get this job done first regardless of the situation or circumstances?
Well, this is not like this. The truth is you will find a lot of disparity in “asap”. Sometimes it is used to show a sense of urgency and sometimes it is used to give priority to one thing over another. Yes, I know it doesn’t make any sense unless you read it till the end.
If you are also confused about ASAP, then let’s read this useful guide and explore asap full form, asap definition, use, and lots of things.
ASAP full form:
Before moving forward, it’s important to clear the full form of asap and know what does asap stands for?
ASAP stands for “As Soon As Possible.”
Now, this is both, the abbreviation as well as an acronym. When you want to say “As Soon As Possible.” You are actually asking your recipient to do it in a short time as it’s important. It implies a sense of urgency over other tasks and matters.
The Origin of ASAP:
Let’s learn the meaning and origin of asap from a literary perspective.
The word is basically an adverbial phrase that you can pronounce as a traditional initialism (A-S-A-P). This four-letter word is also pronounced as ay-sap, A-S-A-P, and in the long-form “as soon as possible”.
You can use all these variations in your conversation that suits you the best, however, if you are in a rush, you can choose to say ay-sap, it just shows that you don’t want to use extra syllables and you are focused on urgency only.
Like different acronyms, ASAP is originally rooted back in the military jargon where it was supposed to have some context like, “as soon as militarily possible.” ASAP was first to use in print in Captain Annis G’s book.
After that, the acronym is now commonly used in every speech and sentence. People use it in text-based communication as well as face-to-face talk.
However, it has been overused a lot which is why it is considered outdated in different circles. In fact, some cultures avoid using asap in business communications.
ASAP Synonyms:
Now you must be wondering what could be another word for asap. Well, there are a lot of synonyms such as:
- Abrupt
- Active
- Agile
- Brisk
- Brief
- Hasty
- Hurried
- Sudden
- Swift
- Instantaneous
- Keen
- Immediate
- Nimble
- Rapid
ASAP Antonyms:
Just like synonyms or similar words, you will also find lots of antonyms or opposite words for asap, for example:
- Later
- Clumsy
- Inactive
- Slow
- Sluggish
- Leisurely
- Idle
- Delayed
- Unhurried
- Ignorant
- Stupid
- And others
Examples of ASAP in Sentences:
As said earlier, asap is commonly used in both text-based communication and face to face, so you may find a lot of examples of asap in sentences. People use asap randomly when they need something in urgency. Some of the examples are:
- Please get that file ASAP, I need it today!
- Can you please complete this task asap?
- Can you lend me $20 today? I will return you ASAP.
- Please get back to me when you are free, we need to talk asap.
- Can you book the tickets asap?
- I will answer all emails asap once things get settled.
- Do you want the parcel asap? I am in a meeting.
Important Rules of Engagement:
ASAP was only used in books previously. But after its tremendous popularity, it became a part of everyday language. From military to civilian life, it was commonly used in both casual and business communication. If you look outside the military context, you will find out that this acronym became diluted and also lost its particular meaning.
ASAP is extremely useful and effective when you have to prioritize one thing over another. For example, if your boss says, “The other things can wait, but we need the presentation on ads ASAP”.
So according to the above example, it’s clear that what does he want first. You can use “asap” to prioritize and make a hierarchy. But when you only have one task in your pipeline, you probably don’t need to use asap for giving priorities. You will only use it in a sense of urgency so things can be done fast.
When you don’t need to use ASAP….
Sometimes when your boss says, “I need the file by 10:00 a.m. or ASAP.”
The intent is not much clear. He either wants it by 10 am or he wants it as soon as possible. But there is no sense of urgency in that, and he simply wants it in time. Adding asap is just disturbing the time limit, or maybe giving flexibility to the employee.
Other meanings could be, the boss wants the file by 10 am, the earlier the better. But if not at 10 am, then he can do it later.
To give a clear message, the boss can say, “I need the file by 10 am today”.
When he added ASAP, it just created an undesirable option which isn’t necessary.
What did we say before the evolution of technology, social media, and texting?
Previously, when social media and technology were not common and people were not aware of fancy words or slang, they used “As soon as possible”. Instead of using its short form asap or ay-sap, they used the full form.
Ending Thoughts:
So, in the end, we must conclude that ASAP is a trending abbreviation that has been used for years and maybe never loses its importance in next coming years.
The way it delivers the message of urgency is just so splendid and other words or synonyms cannot beat its level. Make sure you are using it in the right way and the right place so you can make the conversation effective and meaningful.
