agility

American  

[uh-jil-i-tee] / əˈdʒɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness.

   exercises demanding agility.

2. the ability to think and draw conclusions quickly; intellectual acuity.

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Etymology

Origin of agility

1375–1425; late Middle English agilite < Middle French < Latin agilitās. See agile, -ity

Example Sentences

What matters isn’t whether a place can avoid all risk, but whether it has the institutional depth, policy agility and economic diversification to recover quickly.

From The Wall Street Journal

The bear swung round with terrifying agility and raced after him.

From Literature

Audiences have the chance to watch agility contests, freestyle heelwork to music and flyball - head-to-head relay races between dog teams - and a display by the West Midlands Police Dog team, organisers have said.

From BBC

England's performances in the past two Six Nations games - which lacked both tactical agility and basic accuracy - were nearly unrecognisable from the team that had amassed 12 successive wins in their previous dozen games.

From BBC

As for peace and security, "prevention and mediation are essential. But they need agility and flexibility from the structures of the UN. And I don't think we have that right now."

From Barron's

Related Words

• cleverness
• dexterity
• quickness
• sharpness
• swiftness