What is wrong with the word “performant”?

Question

I keep getting the red underlining in Word whenever I write the word "performant". Here I intend to refer to something that performs well or better than something else (ie it's more performant).

Is there something wrong about that word? Does it mean what I actually want to say?

Answer 1

Whether or not "performant" is actually a real word has been debated for some time.

It does not appear in the dictionary, nor does Google definitions include it.

While it has been used before and appears in wiktionary, I would tend to avoid using it until the word becomes, well...a word.

Is there any reason you could not use one of the following instead?

Example A performed better than Example B.

or

Example A outperformed Example B.

Here is an example of someone who used "performant" extensively only to be told it was not a word. While the research he did on the subject was conducted in 2007, it certainly seems to remain valid today.

Answer 2

It does mean what you want to say, possibly, but it's not the clearest way of saying it.

Performant is being increasingly used, therefore it deserves to be considered a word. I still have misgivings about it though, largely because it seems redundant: you could instead say "fast" or "efficient".
If something's fast, why not just say so, instead of using the word performant?
And more performant is even sillier, when you could just say faster.

At the moment, it's still the sort of word you tend to see written in press releases or spoken by marketing people. To me it's a weasel-word like "premier", which sounds promising but technically meaningless and legally non-binding (what does "premier" actually mean? First, biggest, fastest, best-selling or highest ranking sales by value?)

The word performant could mean one of several things depending on the context (fast, efficient, small, optimal) and not using one of those alternative words suggests (to me) that the speaker/writer doesn't know what he's talking about, or for some reason doesn't want me to know what he's talking about.

Go ahead and use the word if you like, but I won't trust you, because you'll sound like a sales brochure.

Answer 3

I would avoid using "performant" in any formal documentation or technical report. However -- coming from the other side of the debate -- I think that there's nothing wrong with using performant.

The English language, along with all other living languages, transform regularly. The more a word is used, the more that it will be accepted. I would be surprised, in fact, if the word doesn't hit the dictionary soon.

As long as you're in a fairly informal situation, I see nothing wrong with using the word. I agree to avoid it in anything formal, though.

Answer 4

There's not really anything inherently wrong with performant; its formation is regular enough and it seems to convey a meaning that no other single word conveys. If that is enough for you, then go ahead. But you ought to know that the word will be ill-regarded by many, who will consider it a pseudo-learned, affected, vulgar and pointless novelty. Of course, perhaps they are wrong about this, but even if so, they may well be people whose good opinion of your language is important to you.

Answer 5

I came to this discussion because I find the word performant being used more frequently. I believe it stems from the idea that optimal performance is due to a number of factors, not simply defined as speed or efficiency. If I say I want the fastest system, I might get fastest, but with substandard quality. Efficiency is closer, as it suggests the best use of resources for the desired result, but efficiency does suggest that a solution may be more concerned with cost over speed or quality. In my experience, performant suggests that there will be agreement on the appropriate tradeoffs between good, fast and cheap. I like that language evolves and look forward to performant formally becoming a word. It certainly appears to have common usage in my industry at this point.

Answer 6

I use the word performant often, and its meaning (in my opinion) is subtly different from that of fast or efficient. The most performant network might not be the fastest, or the most efficient, but the one which provides the best overall service.

My IT systems are both performant and resilient.

The above seems (to me) to be very succinct. The word performant implies speed, accuracy, flexibility and capability — it implies that my IT systems are just right for my environment. They might not be the fastest, and not necessarily the most feature-packed, but they're just right for my needs.

I like performant.