agile

[ aj-uhl, -ahyl ]
See synonyms for: agileagilelyagileness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. quick and well-coordinated in movement; lithe: an agile leap.

  2. active; lively: an agile person.

  1. marked by an ability to think quickly; mentally acute or aware: She's 95 and still very agile.

  2. noting or relating to a philosophy of product development and production intended to create and distribute batches of working products in a short period of time with subsequent batches planned in a cyclical schedule of improvement, production, and distribution: agile software programming;agile manufacturing;agile teams.: Compare waterfall (def. 3). See also agile development.

noun
  1. Sometimes Agile . an iterative and collaborative philosophy of rapid product development and production: Agile is being used by more and more companies outside of the tech sector.

Origin of agile

1
First recorded in 1570–80; earlier agill, from Middle French agile “nimble” and Latin agilis “easily moved, moving easily,” equivalent to ag- (base of agere “to do, drive”) + -ilis -ile

Other words for agile

Opposites for agile

Other words from agile

  • ag·ile·ly, adverb
  • ag·ile·ness, noun
  • un·ag·ile, adjective
  • un·ag·ile·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use agile in a sentence

  • One of them ran up to within two feet of Kieran and snapped at him with its great jaws, dodging agilely when he raised his arm.

    The Stars, My Brothers | Edmond Hamilton
  • Percy waited until his foe was almost upon him, then agilely leaped to one side.

    Jim Spurling, Fisherman | Albert Walter Tolman
  • Springing agilely behind the ravening monster, Theseus, with a swinging stroke of his blade, cut off one of its legs at the knee.

  • With a sudden bound Fordyce scrambled agilely and rapidly up the rough-and-ready ladder.

    A Sub and a Submarine | Percy F. Westerman
  • Stepping agilely aside Dacres thrust out his foot and sent one of his assailants sprawling on his hands and knees.

    The Dreadnought of the Air | Percy F. Westerman

British Dictionary definitions for agile

agile

/ (ˈædʒaɪl) /


adjective
  1. quick in movement; nimble

  2. mentally quick or acute

Origin of agile

1
C15: from Latin agilis, from agere to do, act

Derived forms of agile

  • agilely, adverb
  • agility (əˈdʒɪlɪtɪ), noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012