Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Alacrity
A-lac′ri-ty
,Noun.
[L.
alacritas
, fr. alacer
lively, eager, prob. akin to Gr. [GREEK] to drive, Goth. aljan
zeal.] A cheerful readiness, willingness, or promptitude; joyous activity; briskness; sprightliness;
as, the soldiers advanced with
. alacrity
to meet the enemyI have not that
Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have.
alacrity
of spirit,Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have.
Shakespeare
Webster 1828 Edition
Alacrity
ALAC'RITY
,Noun.
Cheerfulness; gaiety; sprightliness; more usually, a cheerful readiness or promptitude to do some act; cheerful willingness; as, the soldiers advanced with alacrity to meet the enemy.
Definition 2024
alacrity
alacrity
English
Noun
alacrity (plural alacrities)
- Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.
- 1837, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, ch. 12:
- "I'll get into the clothes this minute, if they're here," said Sam, with great alacrity.
- 1922, Edith Wharton, The Glimpses of the Moon, ch. 24:
- This evening, however, he was struck by the beaming alacrity of the aide-de-camp's greeting.
- 1837, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, ch. 12:
- Promptness; speed.
- 1849, Henry David Thoreau, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience":
- Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way.
- 1902, Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, Part 1:
- He had a uniform jacket with one button off, and seeing a white man on the path, hoisted his weapon to his shoulder with alacrity.
- 1849, Henry David Thoreau, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience":
Synonyms
- (eagerness): avidity, eagerness, enthusiasm, willingness
- (promptness): briskness, celerity, haste, promptness, quickness, swiftness
Antonyms
- (eagerness): apathy, disinclination, hesitance, indifference, reluctance
Related terms
Translations
eagerness
|
promptness
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