diff --git a/markdown_it/rules_inline/html_inline.py b/markdown_it/rules_inline/html_inline.py
index 5eed14a8..2b7c064a 100644
--- a/markdown_it/rules_inline/html_inline.py
+++ b/markdown_it/rules_inline/html_inline.py
@@ -17,22 +17,50 @@ def html_inline(state: StateInline, silent: bool) -> bool:
         return False
 
     # Check start
+    src = state.src
     maximum = state.posMax
-    if state.src[pos] != "<" or pos + 2 >= maximum:
+    if src[pos] != "<" or pos + 2 >= maximum:
         return False
 
     # Quick fail on second char
-    ch = state.src[pos + 1]
+    ch = src[pos + 1]
     if ch not in ("!", "?", "/") and not isLetter(ord(ch)):  # /* / */
         return False
 
-    match = HTML_TAG_RE.match(state.src, pos)
+    # Every alternative of the tag regex ends with a specific terminator, at a
+    # known minimum offset from `pos`.  If that terminator does not occur
+    # anywhere at or after this offset, no match is possible; bail out before
+    # running the regex, whose lazy sub-patterns would scan to the end of the
+    # input.  Without this, a run of unterminated openers is quadratic.
+    if src.startswith("<!--", pos):
+        # `<!-->` / `<!--->`, else `<!--` ... `-->` (`<!---->` is the shortest)
+        if state.html_terminator_last(">") < pos + 4:
+            return False
+        if (
+            not src.startswith("<!-->", pos)
+            and not src.startswith("<!--->", pos)
+            and state.html_terminator_last("-->") < pos + 4
+        ):
+            return False
+    elif src.startswith("<![CDATA[", pos):
+        if state.html_terminator_last("]]>") < pos + 9:  # `<![CDATA[]]>`
+            return False
+    elif ch == "?":
+        if state.html_terminator_last("?>") < pos + 2:  # `<??>`
+            return False
+    elif ch == "!":
+        if state.html_terminator_last(">") < pos + 3:  # `<!a>`
+            return False
+    elif state.html_terminator_last(">") < pos + 2:  # `<a>`, `</a>`
+        return False
+
+    match = HTML_TAG_RE.match(src, pos)
     if not match:
         return False
 
     if not silent:
         token = state.push("html_inline", "", 0)
-        token.content = state.src[pos : pos + len(match.group(0))]
+        token.content = src[pos : pos + len(match.group(0))]
 
         if isLinkOpen(token.content):
             state.linkLevel += 1
diff --git a/markdown_it/rules_inline/state_inline.py b/markdown_it/rules_inline/state_inline.py
index 8f0ca1e8..28e2f3a3 100644
--- a/markdown_it/rules_inline/state_inline.py
+++ b/markdown_it/rules_inline/state_inline.py
@@ -84,6 +84,27 @@ def __init__(
         # inside <a> and markdown links
         self.linkLevel = 0
 
+        # Lazy cache of `terminator -> last index in src`, see
+        # `html_terminator_last`.
+        self._html_terminators: dict[str, int] | None = None
+
+    def html_terminator_last(self, term: str) -> int:
+        """Index of the last occurrence of `term` in `self.src`, or -1.
+
+        The result is cached per terminator, for the life of the state.
+        It is used by the `html_inline` rule to reject, in constant time, a
+        position at which the terminator required to close an HTML construct
+        cannot possibly occur -- without running the tag regex, whose lazy
+        sub-patterns would otherwise rescan to the end of the input on every
+        such (failing) attempt.
+        """
+        if self._html_terminators is None:
+            self._html_terminators = {}
+        elif (last := self._html_terminators.get(term)) is not None:
+            return last
+        last = self._html_terminators[term] = self.src.rfind(term)
+        return last
+
     def __repr__(self) -> str:
         return (
             f"{self.__class__.__name__}"
diff --git a/tests/test_html_inline.py b/tests/test_html_inline.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4f118797
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_html_inline.py
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+"""Tests for the `html_inline` rule."""
+
+import importlib
+
+import pytest
+
+from markdown_it import MarkdownIt
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "src",
+    [
+        "<a>",  # open tag
+        "<a/>",  # self-closing open tag
+        "</a>",  # close tag
+        "<!-->",  # short comment
+        "<!--->",  # short comment
+        "<!---->",  # shortest full comment
+        "<??>",  # empty processing instruction
+        "<!a>",  # declaration
+        "<![CDATA[]]>",  # empty CDATA section
+    ],
+)
+def test_shortest_constructs(src):
+    """The shortest legal form of each construct is passed through as raw html."""
+    assert MarkdownIt("commonmark").renderInline(src) == src
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("opener", ["<![CDATA[", "<!--", "<?", "<!a", "<a", "</a"])
+def test_unterminated_openers_skip_the_regex(opener, monkeypatch):
+    """A run of openers that are never terminated must not run the tag regex.
+
+    Every alternative of ``HTML_TAG_RE`` ends in a specific terminator, and its
+    lazy sub-patterns rescan to the end of the input on each failed attempt,
+    which made such runs quadratic.  ``html_inline`` now rejects an opener in
+    constant time when the terminator it needs cannot occur, so the regex is
+    never invoked here; before the fix it ran once per opener.
+    """
+    module = importlib.import_module("markdown_it.rules_inline.html_inline")
+
+    real = module.HTML_TAG_RE
+    calls = []
+
+    class Counting:
+        def match(self, *args, **kwargs):
+            calls.append(args[1] if len(args) > 1 else None)
+            return real.match(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(module, "HTML_TAG_RE", Counting())
+    src = "x" + opener * 1_000  # leading "x" keeps it out of `html_block`
+    html = MarkdownIt("commonmark").render(src)
+    assert calls == []
+    # the openers all render as escaped text
+    assert html == "<p>x" + (opener.replace("<", "&lt;")) * 1_000 + "</p>\n"
+
+
+def test_terminated_constructs_still_reach_the_regex(monkeypatch):
+    """The quick-reject must be exactly that: a terminated construct is still
+    handed to the regex and parsed as before."""
+    module = importlib.import_module("markdown_it.rules_inline.html_inline")
+
+    real = module.HTML_TAG_RE
+    calls = []
+
+    class Counting:
+        def match(self, *args, **kwargs):
+            calls.append(1)
+            return real.match(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(module, "HTML_TAG_RE", Counting())
+    src = "x <!-- c --> <?pi?> <![CDATA[d]]> <!D> <a>b</a>"
+    html = MarkdownIt("commonmark").render(src)
+    assert calls, "expected the regex to run for terminated constructs"
+    assert html == "<p>" + src + "</p>\n"