agile Hear it!

agile definition

ag·ile (aj′əl, -īl′)

adjective

  1. quick and easy of movement; deft and active
  2. keen and lively an agile wit

Etymology: Fr < L agilis < agere, act

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

agile Synonyms

agile

modif.

nimble, quick, spry, deft, lithe, sprightly, supple, dexterous, limber, athletic, easy-moving, well-coordinated, graceful, vigorous, frisky, spirited, rapid, prompt, tripping, active, ready, winged, swift-footed, alive, buoyant, energetic, brisk, lively, swift, alert, keen, sharp, flexible, resourceful, fleet, sure-footed, light-footed, nimble-footed, mercurial, light-fingered, nimble-fingered.

Antonyms awkward*, slow*, clumsy.

agile and nimble both imply rapidity, ease, and lightness of movement, agile emphasizing dexterity in the use of the limbs and nimble, deftness in the performance of some act; quick implies rapidity and promptness, seldom indicating, out of context, the degree of skillfulness; spry suggests nimbleness or alacrity, esp. as displayed by vigorous elderly people; sprightly implies animation or vivacity and suggests lightheartedness


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

agile Usage Examples

Preposition: on

  • road: It vindicates BMW's design philosophy by being relatively nimble in urban environments and dynamic and agile on British back roads.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: Working on a higher abstraction level makes the process more agile at the same time.

Modifies a noun

  • climber: In fact they are very agile climbers, using their long tails to balance.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: However, being the child of parents who spent their working lives in foreign postings, I became socially very agile.

Infinitive complement

  • get: You have to be agile to get across the goalmouth at a moments notice.

Modifying Another Word

  • surprisingly: With the engine placed at the bike's exact center of gravity, it was surprisingly agile for its size.

Preposition: than

  • human: He appears to be faster and more agile than normal humans, and knows some variety of martial arts.
agile usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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"agile." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/agile>

APA Style

agile. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/agile

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