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

The elder Jackson died last month at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak. —ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026

On Industry, watches, jewelry, and clothes signal class maintenance or mobility. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

Depending on room type, features may include mobility-accessible tubs, roll-in showers, transfer showers, and hearing-accessible enhancements such as visual alarms and notification devices for the door and telephone. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Mar. 2026

Though Jawscritters notes there is likely still some room for improvement in the design, the aquarium caretaker seems pleased with Moses’s newfound mobility. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 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