mobility

noun

mo·​bil·​i·​ty mō-ˈbi-lə-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being mobile or movable

… its efforts were supported by the cavalry which … compensated for the infantry's lack of mobility.

—R. M. Ogorkiewicz

… it becomes cost-effective and socially advantageous to provide urban mobility by means of metros: urban rail mass transit systems on exclusive rights-of-way.

—Michael A Niedzielski et al.

: ability or capacity to move

… the physical challenges of vision loss, hearing loss, and reduced mobility.

—Vicki Bloom and Benjamin B. Green-Field

When large doses of steroids restored mobility, they also created irritability, insatiable appetite, and facial hair …

—Whitney Scott

2

: the ability to change one's social or socioeconomic position in a community and especially to improve it

A large body of academic research shows that inequality and lack of social mobility hurt not just those at the bottom; they hurt everyone.

—Rana Foroohar

The mythology of the American Dream has made it difficult to start a serious conversation about how to create more opportunity in our society, since many of us still believe that our mobility is the result of our elbow grease and nothing more.

—Rana Foroohar

see also upward mobility

Examples of mobility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If mobility isn’t an issue, take the stairs instead, which offer uninterrupted views of the Hudson river. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Aug. 2026

However, the reports did not consider the wider gains of the global automotive industry where smart mobility is gaining ground. — Ray Fernandez, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

However, Olsen-Lane spent months working with doctors and the hospital’s rehab team and was eventually able to regain movement and mobility. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026

That may have more to do with political polarization, as well as the sky-high citizen expectations for the economy on the heels of two decades of social mobility, experts say. — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mobility

• micro-mobility
• mobility scooter
• upward mobility

Rhymes for mobility

• ability
• agility
• civility
• debility
• docility
• ductility
• facility
• fertility
• fragility
• futility
• gentility
• hostility