agility
Americannoun
-
the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness.
exercises demanding agility.
-
the ability to think and draw conclusions quickly; intellectual acuity.
Etymology
Origin of agility
1375–1425; late Middle English agilite < Middle French < Latin agilitās. See agile, -ity
Explanation
Agility is the ability to be quick and graceful. You might have agility on the basketball court or in the courtroom, or even with your gaming remote. The noun agility can be used for both mental and physical skills in speed and grace. Your mental agility might allow you to follow both conversations at once. Or your brother's soccer prowess shows in his physical agility. The word agility does not have to be applied to human abilities, however: "The sailboat's agility in the water made it the perfect craft for racing."
Vocabulary lists containing agility
Physical Education - Introductory
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Physical Education - Middle School and High School
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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.
USVs several metres long and capable of carrying bombs churned up the marina's still waters as they showed off their speed and agility, while UUVs, designed to inspect the seabed hovered below the surface.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
We can credit the actor’s innate emotional agility for his commitment to every part, or a versatility earned over decades of playing many major heroes and villains the Bard scribbled onto parchment.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Researchers at MIT have now demonstrated a new approach that gives an insect-scale flying robot much greater speed and agility.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Grant: Great careers used to hinge on ability, and now they depend on agility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Somehow, they managed not to fall off as Arion scaled the cliffs, jumping from foothold to foothold with impossible speed and agility.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
