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

Accessibility There are elevators and 10 rooms adapted for guests with limited mobility. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026

After receiving a firing order, the vehicles maneuvered into position and launched their rockets with bright flashes within three minutes, demonstrating their mobility. —Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

All three projects are part of INLIVIAN’s move to create more mixed-income developments in affluent neighborhoods of Charlotte, which doesn’t create neighborhoods with concentrated poverty and promotes economic mobility. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2026

Initiatives like the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system and the OECD’s Data Free Flows with Trust (pioneered by Japan) also demonstrate that trusted data mobility and robust privacy protections aren’t mutually exclusive. —Leonard Lim, Fortune, 10 June 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