Alacrity
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /əˈlæk.ɹɪ.ti/, /əˈlæk.ɹə.ti/
Full definition of alacrity
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.
- 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.
Synonyms
- (eagerness) avidity, eagerness, enthusiasm, willingness
- (promptness) briskness, celerity, haste, promptness, quickness, swiftness
Antonyms
- (eagerness) apathy, disinclination, hesitance, indifference, reluctance