agility
uh-JILL-ih-tee
/əˈdʒɪləti/
The ability to move quickly and easily; in training, a sport where dogs navigate an obstacle course.
While it refers to physical nimbleness, in a training context, it also implies 'mental agility'—the ability to follow cues while moving at high speed.
The story behind the word. The Latin root 'agere' means 'to do' or 'to drive.' Agility is the quality of being 'ready to do' or 'ready to move' at a moment's notice.
Word relationships
- nimbleness: Nimbleness is a lighter, more delicate kind of movement; agility often implies more power and athletic skill.
- clumsiness: Clumsiness is the lack of coordination and grace in movement.
Commonly confused with
- dexterity: Dexterity usually refers to skill with the hands or paws; agility refers to the whole body.
Word family
- agile (adjective): Able to move quickly.
Collocations
- mental agility
- agility course
- agility trial
Example sentences
- "The Border Collie showed incredible agility as it wove through the poles without breaking stride." Dog sports competition.
Memory hook
A-GILL-ity: Think of a fish with GILLS moving quickly through water. Fast and flexible.
When not to use
Don't use this to mean just 'speed'; a fast dog that crashes into things lacks agility.
Fun facts
- Dog agility was originally created as a halftime entertainment at the Crufts dog show in 1978, inspired by horse jumping.
Related words
Explore more words
Also appears in
- Leadership → Adaptability in Crisis
- Business → Corporate Culture
- Engineering & Industrial Design → Supply Chain Engineering
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Combat Sports & Martial Arts
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Winter & Ice Sports
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Racket & Court Sports
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Gymnastics & Acrobatics
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