alacrity

alac·ri·ty

noun \ə-ˈla-krə-tē\

Definition of ALACRITY

: promptness in response : cheerful readiness <accepted the invitation with alacrity>

— alac·ri·tous \-krə-təs\ adjective

Examples of ALACRITY

1. She accepted the invitation with an alacrity that surprised me.
2. <having just acquired his driver's license that morning, the teen agreed with alacrity to drive his cousin to the airport>
3. Surely one of the most striking features of human dynamics is the alacrity with which those who have been oppressed will oppress whomever they can once the opportunity presents itself. —Randall Kennedy, Atlantic, May 1997
4. Every Disney worker I spoke to, from ticket sellers to gardeners sprucing up already-immaculate flower beds, knew the answer to my questions and responded with smiling alacrity. —Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 1990
5. … when he entered the drawing room before dinner, the buzz of discussion was high between Tom, Maria, and Mr. Yates; and Mr. Rushworth stepped forward with great alacrity to tell him the agreeable news. —Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814

Origin of ALACRITY

Latin alacritas, from alacr-, alacer lively, eager

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to ALACRITY

Synonyms

amenability, gameness, goodwill, obligingness, willingness

Related Words

celerity, quickness, rapidity, speed, speediness, swiftness; dispatch, promptitude, promptness; ardor, avidity, eagerness, enthusiasm, exuberance, fervor, gusto, keenness, relish, zeal, zest; agreeableness, geniality, good-naturedness, heartiness, warmth; open-mindedness, receptiveness, receptivity, responsiveness

Near Antonyms

leisureliness, pokiness, slowness, sluggishness; apathy, disinterestedness, halfheartedness, indifference, lukewarmness, perfunctoriness; delay, dilatoriness, doubt, equivocation, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, reluctance, reservation, reticence, uncertainty, vacillation; disinclination, indisposition, recalcitrance, resistance, unwillingness; antipathy, averseness, aversion