mobility

American  

[moh-bil-i-tee] / moʊˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

• mobilities
  plural

1. the quality of being mobile.

2. Sociology. social mobility.

---

mobility British  

/ məʊˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the ability to move physically

   a knee operation has restricted his mobility

   mobility is part of physical education

2. sociol (of individuals or social groups) movement within or between classes and occupations See also vertical mobility horizontal mobility

3. time that a resident of a secure unit is allowed to spend outside the unit, as preparation for an eventual return to society

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intermobility
  noun
• nonmobility
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mobilities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mobility

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English mobilite, from Latin mōbilitās. See mobile, -ity

Compare meaning

How does mobility compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• motility vs. mobility

Explanation

Mobility is the ability to move freely. If your basketball injury causes you to lose mobility in your knee, that means you can’t move it very well. Mobility often refers to whether you can move an injured body part, like a joint or a limb, but it can also describe movement in general. If you have great mobility on the tennis court, that means you move freely and easily, running down shots with ease. Mobility can also describe movement between different social or economic levels. Your fancy new job may offer opportunities for upward mobility.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mobility mobilities

She "is facing mobility issues and has lost a significant portion of her ability to walk", it said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

“And, as they get older, we’re often talking about pain management, mobility and things of that nature.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Every year we wait is another year of preventable pain and lost mobility for millions, and another year patients, employers and taxpayers spend paying to replace joints we might have saved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Maintaining stronger muscles can also support mobility and stability, while stronger bones can reduce vulnerability to fractures.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

“If you hold it like this, your thumb is safe. The down side is that you lose a lot of the mobility in your wrist.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

According to the researchers, the study serves as an intervention itself, providing insights that might otherwise remain unexplored, fostering a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with climate mobilities.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 2, 2024

Key findings reveal a consensus among the professionals about the inevitability of various forms of climate mobilities in South Florida.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 2, 2024

"We are in talks about the 11 countries where we are present ... it is up to Nissan to decide," Nicolas Schottey said at the Autonomy Mobility conference about new mobilities in Paris.

From Reuters ● Mar. 23, 2023

My first time at the Voice, in 1966, was a fluke typical of the overnight mobilities of life and work in New York then.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 2, 2018

He has studied in a very ingenious manner, not only the mobilities, but also the law of recombination which regulates the spontaneous return of the gas to its normal state.

From The New Physics and Its Evolution by Lucien Poincaré

Related Words

• flexibility
• maneuverability