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 new equipment will improve officer mobility for Professional Security Services, the private security firm contracted to patrol the Charlotte Area Transit System. —Charlotte Observer, 3 Oct. 2025

Beyond improving mobility, the transition marked a step forward in gender equality within the police, eliminating visual distinctions and reinforcing that women could perform the same duties as men on the streets of Sweden. —Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 3 Oct. 2025

The program is essential to the future of the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) and will fulfill the Army’s strategy of protection, mobility, reliability, and interoperability. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025

The four-episode thriller series stars Eve Myles (The Crow Girl, Broadchurch) and Gabrielle Creevy (Black Doves, Three Women) combines action, intrigue and twists, and themes of class and social mobility. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2025

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