noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of alacrity
First recorded in 1500–10; from Latin alacritāt-, stem of alacritās “enthusiasm, zeal,” equivalent to alacer + -tās- noun suffix ( see -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.
The energy crisis "certainly gives everyone another reason why they should act with alacrity", the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, told AFP.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
What is helping them meet these deadlines is the industry's alacrity in embracing generative AI.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Some have bristled at the alacrity with which Solis has appeared to consolidate support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 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
Miss Bingley moved with alacrity to the pianoforte, and after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way, which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seated herself.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
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.
