Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily, with coordinated, precise, and adaptable actions. It encompasses speed, balance, and control, often in response to changing circumstances. In everyday use, it can describe physical dexterity or mental nimbleness in tasks requiring quick, flexible responses.
"Her agility on the basketball court helped her dodge defenders and score."
"The software update improved the system’s agility, making it faster to adapt to new inputs."
"A gymnast’s agility is evident in the seamless transitions between routines."
"In business, agile teams demonstrate agility by pivoting rapidly when market conditions change."
Agility derives from the Old French aguillité, from aguiller meaning to guide or train, with a stem related to the Latin agilis meaning quick or nimble. The modern form entered English in the 15th century, originally used to describe physical quickness and skill in movement. Over time, its semantic field broadened to include mental nimbleness and adaptability in problem-solving and decision-making. The word is built on the Latin root ag- (to do) and the adjective suffix -ilis (pertaining to), compounding into a concept of swift, skillful action. In contemporary usage, agility frequently pairs with adjectives like mental, business, or physical, reflecting a cross-domain appreciation for rapid, precise responsiveness. First known written instance appears in Middle English medical or athletic treatises addressing skillful movement and coordination, gradually expanding into general use in both everyday and technical contexts. The evolution mirrors cultural emphasis on efficiency and adaptive competence across sports, technology, and management disciplines, culminating in a broad, modern sense of nimble adaptability rather than only speed.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Agility" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Agility"
-ity sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounced uh-JIL-ih-tee, with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US /əˈdʒɪlɪti/, UK /əˈdʒɪlɪti/, AU /əˈdʒɪlɪti/. Start with a schwa, then a clear J-sound, short I in the second syllable, and a soft -tee end. See audio examples for subtle vowel length and voicing cues.
Common errors: treating it as a three-syllable word with even stress (a-GIL-i-ty), mispronouncing the middle vowel as a full ‘ee’ instead of a short /ɪ/. Correction: pronounce the second syllable with a short /ɪ/ as in 'bit', not /iː/. Ensure the ending is a clear /ti/ rather than a muted /t/ or /di/; keep the final /ti/ crisp. Emphasize the second syllable syllabic weight rather than the first or third.
US/UK/AU all share /əˈdʒɪlɪti/, but rhoticity and vowel quality can alter color. US tends to darker /ɪ/ in the first syllable’s second vowel and a slightly reduced final /i/; UK often preserves a slightly crisper vowel in second syllable; AU can sound more centralized and may have a shorter final vowel. The primary stress remains on the second syllable across accents.
The challenge lies in the sequence /ə/ + /dʒ/ + /ɪ/ + /l/ + /ɪ/ + /ti/ where the /ɪ/ vowels are brief and closely balanced. Transitioning smoothly between /dʒ/ and /l/ without adding vowel intrusion, and keeping the final /ti/ crisp requires careful tongue positioning and timing. Many speakers also accidentally stress the first syllable or elongate the final /i/ sound.
A unique query often concerns the subtle second-syllable vowel length and the precise mouth shape for /dʒɪl/ in rapid speech. You’ll want a fast but controlled transition from schwa to /dʒ/ with a light palate lift and a short /ɪ/ before the /l/; finish with a crisp /ti/. Practicing the cluster /dʒɪl/ with minimal pairs helps solidify the sound.
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