noun
Other Word Forms
- alacritous adjective
- unalacritous adjective
Etymology
Origin of alacrity
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin alacritāt-, stem of alacritās “enthusiasm, zeal,” equivalent to alacer + -tās- noun suffix ( -ty 2 )
Explanation
Someone with alacrity shows cheerful willingness and eager behavior, like a kid whose mother has told him he can buy anything in a candy store. While the noun alacrity normally refers to someone's peppy behavior, it can also describe a certain mood or tempo of a musical composition, indicating how the music should be played. Alacrity comes from the Latin alacritas, and the Italian musical term allegro is a near relation.
Vocabulary lists containing alacrity
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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.
What is helping them meet these deadlines is the industry's alacrity in embracing generative AI.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
They took to songwriting with alacrity, driven by an urge to create their own material at a time when there was no precedent for a band to write its own songs.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025
He has accomplished great things in his time as president, and the First Lady and Secretary Becerra both spoke within the last week about his efforts which have come with great alacrity.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2023
Speed and alacrity are rewarded in the Slate News Quiz.
From Slate • Sep. 1, 2023
The knight scrambled up, edging away with such alacrity that some of the watchers laughed aloud.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
