agile

[ aj-uhl, -ahyl ]

See synonyms for: agile agilely agileness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.
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

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

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

1	supple, limber
2	nimble, sprightly; brisk, energetic, spry

See synonyms for agile on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for agile

1	awkward
2	sluggish, lethargic

See antonyms for agile on Thesaurus.com

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. 2023

How to use agile in a sentence

They weren’t designed to be agile and help us solve customers’ problems during times like these.
Why empathy is about meeting the customer on their terms | Sponsored Content: Pegasystems Inc. | November 16, 2020 | Search Engine Land
We need to be even more agile during the second wave currently hitting Europe.
Europe urges e-commerce platforms to share data in fight against coronavirus scams | Natasha Lomas | November 6, 2020 | TechCrunch
An agile marketing team’s initial goal is typically to release a minimum viable product and then test the waters and see how a select segment of your market responds.
Four ways to test your marketing ideas instead of trusting blogs | Sarah Fruy | November 4, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
“This bird hunts in forests, so it’s super agile,” says Enrico Ajanic, a doctoral student and roboticist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
This robotic hawk can shape-shift as it flies | Rob Verger | October 28, 2020 | Popular-Science
The size-small 29er that I tested felt as agile as an aircraft carrier and just as effortful to get moving.
Short Cyclists Can Rip on 29ers, Too | Kelly Bastone | October 28, 2020 | Outside Online

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.
Historic Tales, vol 10 (of 15) | Charles Morris
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

quick in movement; nimble
mentally quick or acute

Origin of agile

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

Browse