agile

[ aj-uhl, -ahyl ]

adjective

1. quick and well-coordinated in movement; lithe:

   an agile leap.

   Synonyms: limber, supple

   Antonyms: awkward

2. active; lively:

   an agile person.

   Synonyms: spry, energetic, brisk, sprightly, nimble

   Antonyms: lethargic, sluggish

3. marked by an ability to think quickly; mentally acute or aware:

   She's 95 and still very agile.

4. noting or relating to a philosophy of product development and production intended to create and distribute batches of working products in a short period of time with subsequent batches planned in a cyclical schedule of improvement, production, and distribution: agile manufacturing; Compare waterfall ( def 3 ).agile development.

   agile software programming;

   agile manufacturing;

   agile teams.

noun

1. Sometimes Agile. an iterative and collaborative philosophy of rapid product development and production:

   Agile is being used by more and more companies outside of the tech sector.

agile

/ əˈdʒɪlɪtɪ; ˈædʒaɪl /

adjective

1. quick in movement; nimble
2. mentally quick or acute

Derived Forms

• agility, noun
• ˈagilely, adverb

Other Words From

• agile·ly adverb
• agile·ness noun
• un·agile adjective
• un·agile·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of agile¹

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier agill, from Middle French agile “nimble” and Latin agilis “easily moved, moving easily,” equivalent to ag- (base of agere “to do, drive”) + -ilis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of agile¹

C15: from Latin agilis, from agere to do, act

Example Sentences

Ashely Cohen, who owns Pharmacist Healthcare Ltd in Leeds said: “I should be spending my time and energy to prevent illness, and do everything the government wants us to do to be agile and prevent illness, but my time is being spent on ‘do we have enough money to pay the bills in 30, 60, 90 days time'?”

From BBC

The Pentagon bureaucracy is deeply entrenched; it can wear out far more agile players than Hegseth.

From Slate

Another key challenge, he notes, is cultural: Vistara's agile employees may struggle to adjust to Air India's complex bureaucracy and systems.

From BBC

But even with his new and improved conditioning, Mara is far less agile than Kyle and susceptible to being beaten off the dribble by more athletic counterparts.

From Los Angeles Times

“I was much more agile prior to prison, and my life became a little less exciting,” she said.

From Salon

Related Words

• athletic
• buoyant
• energetic
• frisky
• limber
• lithe
• lively
• quick
• rapid
• sharp
• spirited
• sprightly
• supple