agile
[aj-uh l, -ahyl]
- quick and well-coordinated in movement; lithe: an agile leap.
- active; lively: an agile person.
- marked by an ability to think quickly; mentally acute or aware: She's 95 and still very agile.
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Origin of agile
Synonyms
See more synonyms for agile on Thesaurus.com1. nimble, sprightly. 2. brisk, spry.
Antonyms
1. awkward. 2. sluggish, lethargic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for agile
Contemporary Examples
His silhouettes, which so often make a woman appear aerodynamic and agile, this season left her looking grounded and sluggish.
Gingrich is a strong debater, agile enough even to turn a question about past marital infidelity into an applause line.
Instead, renegade Newt threw haymakers at also-rans like Michele Bachmann, but was still smart and agile enough to come out ahead.
But like the organization he now runs, he is agile and adaptive.
Nonetheless, the group has proven remarkably resilient and agile.
Historical Examples
In stature he was about five feet eleven inches, and was apparently as agile as a leopard.
RidgewayScian Dubh
She had neither the strength of limb nor the agile grace of the mountaineer.
The Shadow of a CrimeHall Caine
The performers had been as agile then as now; but their agility had been free from any danger of a tumble.
The Dominant StrainAnna Chapin Ray
This is a chance for a young and agile torero to show his skill.
Nimble cried in reply, “Behold, how agile and entertaining I am!”
agile
- quick in movement; nimble
- mentally quick or acute
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin agilis, from agere to do, act
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for agile
adj.
1580s, from Middle French agile (14c.) and directly from Latin agilis "nimble, quick," from agere "to move, drive" (see act (n.)). Related: Agilely.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper