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Synonyms

motile

American  
[moht-l, moh-til] / ˈmoʊt l, ˈmoʊ tɪl /

adjective

  1. Biology. moving or capable of moving spontaneously.

    motile cells; motile spores.
motile British  
/ məʊˈtɪlɪtɪ, ˈməʊtaɪl /

adjective

  1. capable of moving spontaneously and independently

"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

noun

  1. psychol a person whose mental imagery strongly reflects movement, esp his own

"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
motile Scientific  
/ mōt′l,mō′tīl′ /

  1. Moving or able to move by itself. Sperm and certain spores are motile.

Other Word Forms

  • motility noun
  • nonmotile adjective
  • unmotile adjective

Etymology

Origin of motile

1860–65; < Latin mōt ( us ) (past participle of movēre to move, set in motion) + -ile

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.

Their work focused on Clostridia, a group of motile bacteria found in large numbers in the human gut that are known to support gut health.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

These receptors help motile bacteria detect nutrients that are especially valuable for growth.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

We found that men who performed fewer mate guarding behaviors produced higher quality ejaculates, having a greater concentration of sperm, a higher percentage of motile sperm and sperm that swam faster and less erratically.

From Salon • Jun. 19, 2022

The bank guarantees a vial will have 10 million or 15 million total motile sperm.

From New York Times • Jan. 8, 2021

Language, once it comes alive, behaves like an active, motile organism.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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.