Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

agile

American  
[aj-uhl, -ahyl] / ˈædʒ əl, -aɪl /

adjective

  1. quick and well-coordinated in movement; lithe.

    an agile leap.
    Synonyms:
    limber, supple
    Antonyms:
    awkward

  2. active; lively.

    an agile person.
    Synonyms:
    spry, energetic, brisk, sprightly, nimble
    Antonyms:
    lethargic, sluggish

  3. marked by an ability to think quickly; mentally acute or aware.

    She's 95 and still very agile.

  4. 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 manufacturing;

    agile software programming;

    agile manufacturing;

    agile teams.

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.
agile British  
/ əˈdʒɪlɪtɪ, ˈædʒaɪl /

adjective

  1. quick in movement; nimble

  2. mentally quick or acute

"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

Other Word Forms

  • agilely adverb
  • agileness noun
  • agility noun
  • unagile adjective
  • unagilely adverb

Etymology

Origin of agile

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some were injured - not everyone was young or agile - but there was no alternative.

From BBC

Those changes have turned the company into a “more agile, more disciplined, and more accountable organization,” he said.

From Barron's

Wednesday’s results beat market expectations, showing that Elhedery’s efforts to create a “simple, more agile, focused bank” are paying off.

From The Wall Street Journal

Moorish horse breeds were crossed with native stock to create a sturdy and agile beast for managing cattle.

From Los Angeles Times

They are smaller and have less downforce, so they slide more in corners, and look more agile.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.