nimbly
Americanadverb
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with quick, light, easy movement.
Our daughter sits on the ground plucking dandelions, her long brown fingers nimbly weaving them into a chain.
-
in a way that shows quick thinking or understanding, as in making appropriate adjustments, devising or carrying out plans, etc..
Local governance is often flexible and community based, enabling municipalities to respond to evolving conditions more nimbly than larger and slower-moving state governments.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nimbly
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.
It’s similar to what he’s been doing, but he believes that in the private sphere, “I can do it often a little bit more nimbly and entrepreneurially, and I’m looking forward to that.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025
David was a political chameleon who nimbly navigated a volatile epoch while remaining an artist of the highest professionalism.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
The agency is in dire need of upgraded data analysis systems, Lurie says, which would help it more nimbly manage the brush fire of a contagious disease before it gets out of control.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 26, 2024
It’s also a ripping, nimbly paced action series that knows its audience and knows how to exploit this fandom’s strengths and weak spots.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2024
I open my textbook and direct all my attention to it, walking nimbly, so as not to catch his eyes.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
