celerity
Americannoun
noun
Synonym Usage
See speed.
Etymology
Origin of celerity
First recorded in 1480–90; earlier celerite, from Middle French, from Latin celeritās, equivalent to celer “swift” + -itās -ity
Explanation
While it looks a lot like "celery," celerity means something that vegetables are not — fast moving. Gossip often travels with celerity, as do children trying to get to a big plate of cookies. When you see the word celerity, think accelerate, like a car when you step on the gas. Both words share the Latin root celer which means "swift." You may want to study for exams with celerity, but using a slower, more methodical approach will often yield better results.
Vocabulary lists containing celerity
The Call of the Wild
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Pride and Prejudice
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Dracula
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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.
And if meat must be produced ever more quickly, surely it should also be consumed with maximum celerity?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Enriquez’s plots deteriorate with satisfying celerity: In “The Cart,” a curse strips an entire neighborhood of its livelihood within approximately three pages.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2021
“A revision made in response to an entry’s increased attention differs only in celerity — as always, all revisions reflect evidence of use.”
From Washington Times ● Oct. 15, 2020
The officer reacted with celerity, producing, seemingly out of nowhere, a tube that he deposited in his master’s hand.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 2, 2018
He ejected them with celerity, and his servants watched with some satisfaction as these lords of the leaf stalked back out to their chaises, disappointed in their designs.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
