convenience
/kənˈviːnɪəns
/noun
1 [mass noun] The state of being able to proceed with something without difficulty: services should be run to suit the convenience of customers, not of staff...
- It is now common for many families to ‘alter their customs’ to suit their convenience.
- With this scheme, the bank intends to improve customer convenience, reduce customer traffic at branches and create opportunities to generate a fee income.
- This would increase customer convenience and also drive ‘warm’ sales leads direct to the company's skilled staff, making a sale more likely.
Synonyms
benefit, use, good, comfort, ease, enjoyment, satisfaction
1.1The quality of being useful, easy, or suitable for someone: the success of the food halls in large stores is due to their convenience...
- Our frozen meals service was introduced a few years ago to offer suitable clients the quality, choice and convenience of this type of meal.
- It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the quality, value or convenience of anything I have to say.
- Its product allows the consumer the convenience and quality of a Sunday roast without the lengthy preparation and cooking time.
Synonyms
expedience, expediency, advantageousness, advantage;
favourableness, opportuneness, propitiousness, timeliness;
suitability, appropriateness, appropriacy, fittingness
ease of use, usability, usefulness, utility, serviceability, practicality, functionality;
advantage, benefit
accessibility, ease of access, handiness, nearness
rare propinquity
1.2 [count noun] A thing that contributes to an easy and effortless way of life: voicemail was seen as one of the desktop conveniences of the electronic office...
- There was a cell phone in the vehicle, partly a convenience and partly a tool of emergency equipment.
- Rule 7: All tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be obtained from the Acme Corporation.
- The new software offers major benefits in functionality and operating conveniences.
Synonyms
appliance, amenity, facility, device, labour-saving device, gadget, machine
informal gizmo, gimmick, mod con
formal appurtenance
2 [count noun] British A public toilet: the large council car park next to the public conveniences...
- All over Europe clean, attended public conveniences have disabled facilities.
- A consultation document prepared by Mr Smith last year foresees all the present public conveniences closed down and replaced by just two new attended toilet blocks.
- At Exhibition Square, plumbing problems left the toilets blocked and today the council admitted other public conveniences around the city had not been subject to their usual cleaning routine.
Phrases
at one's convenience
at one's earliest convenience
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin convenientia, from convenient- 'assembling, agreeing', from the verb convenire (see convene).