EN

Synonyms for nimble

  • adjective

Most common

agile spry active quick

All synonyms

Adjective

1. Agile

agile, spry, active, quick, swift, deft, speedy, smart, sprightly, zippy informal, light, intelligent, lively, ready, brisk, light-footed, mercurial, fleet, expeditious, pert, winged, prompt

Other

quick-thinking, sly

Antonyms

sluggish, passive, inactive

All antonyms of nimble →

Definitions

  1. adj. 1

    Adept at taking or grasping.

Related words

Word family
nimble-fingered nimbleness nimble-witted nimbly

Choose the right word

Nimble, Brisk or Alert?

The sense of brisk, nimble is the secondary and now less common signification of alert.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • swift No one predicted the swift collapse of the regime.
  • agile Are you familiar with agile work methodologies?
  • deft He tried to conceal his ineptitude in a not-so-deft sleight of hand.
  • spry Tom and Mary aren't as spry as they used to be.
  • sly She looked at me with a sly smile on her face.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
nimblerising
swiftrising
agilerising
deftsteady
spryrising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters
sly1
4 letters
deft1, pert1, spry1
5 letters
light1, ready2, quick1, smart1, fleet1, swift1, agile2, brisk1, zippy2
6 letters
active2, lively2, prompt1, speedy2, winged1
9 letters
mercurial4, sprightly2
11 letters
intelligent4, expeditious4

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ready2 = 2 syllables).