agile
gb/ˈæd͡ʒəl/ us/ˈæd͡ʒəl/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B2
property
1
able to move quickly and easily
able to move fast and easily
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is agile; agile movements; agile on [a surface/in a sport]
Common mistake:
Often mispronounced to rhyme with “still”; it’s /ˈædʒaɪl/ (like “fragile” without fr-).
Synonyms
nimble (Very common synonym; emphasizes quick, light movement.)
|
spry (Suggests energetic movement, often despite age.)
|
lithe (Emphasizes flexibility and grace.)
|
graceful (Focuses more on elegance than speed.)
Antonyms
clumsy (Opposite in coordination and ease of movement.)
|
awkward (Not smooth or comfortable in movement.)
|
stiff (Lacking flexibility; hard to move freely.)
Collocations
agile athlete
|agile dancer
|agile movements
|agile feet
|agile body
|surprisingly agile
|remain agile
|agile and graceful
|agile in the air
|an agile cat
Themes
body
|sports
|movement
Examples
- Despite his age, he’s still agile on the tennis court.
- The gymnast was agile enough to land the jump cleanly.
- Cats are incredibly agile climbers.
Learner examples
- She is agile and fast.
- He stayed agile by exercising.
adjective
B2
property
2
quick-thinking and mentally flexible
able to think quickly and clearly
Usage pattern:
an agile mind; mentally agile; agile thinking
Common mistake:
In this meaning, agile describes thinking (not physical movement). Learners sometimes choose “active” or “fast” when “agile” means flexible and quick to adapt.
Synonyms
sharp (Very common; suggests quick understanding.)
|
quick-witted (Often used for fast, clever responses in conversation.)
|
nimble-minded (Close in meaning; slightly more formal/less common.)
Antonyms
slow (Opposite in speed of understanding or response.)
|
rigid (Opposite in flexibility of thinking.)
|
dull (Opposite in mental sharpness.)
Collocations
agile mind
|mentally agile
|agile thinking
|intellectually agile
|cognitively agile
|an agile learner
|agile problem-solver
|stay mentally agile
|agile reasoning
Themes
mind
|learning
|communication
Examples
- She’s an agile thinker who can switch between topics easily.
- Good managers stay mentally agile when plans change.
- The job requires an agile mind and strong problem-solving skills.
Learner examples
- He is mentally agile.
- Agile thinking helps in exams.
adjective
business
B2
property
3
able to adapt quickly to change
able to change plans quickly and well
Usage pattern:
an agile organization/team; become more agile; keep [something] agile
Common mistake:
Often confused with “fragile” because they look similar; the meanings are unrelated.
Synonyms
flexible (Broader and very common; less emphasis on speed.)
|
adaptable (Emphasizes adjusting to new situations.)
|
responsive (Highlights reacting quickly to needs or feedback.)
Antonyms
inflexible (Not willing or able to change.)
|
bureaucratic (Slow and rule-bound; hard to change direction.)
|
slow-moving (Opposite in speed of response to change.)
Collocations
agile organization
|agile business
|agile team
|agile approach
|agile strategy
|agile decision-making
|agile processes
|more agile
|stay agile
|an agile response
Themes
business
|work
|change
Examples
- Small companies can be more agile than large corporations.
- We need a more agile process so we can respond to customer feedback faster.
- The team stayed agile and adjusted the plan when the deadline moved.
Learner examples
- Our company is agile.
- We must be agile when things change.
adjective
technical
C1
property
4
relating to Agile project methods
connected to Agile ways of working (short cycles and feedback)
Usage pattern:
Agile development; Agile project management; Agile practices
Common mistake:
Often written with a capital A (Agile) when referring to the specific methodology; lower-case “agile” can also be used more generally to mean flexible.
Synonyms
iterative (Describes repeated cycles of building and improving; not identical but often associated.)
|
lean (Related approach focused on reducing waste; overlaps but is not the same.)
Antonyms
waterfall (Contrasting project approach with sequential phases and less iteration.)
|
plan-driven (Emphasizes upfront planning rather than adaptation during development.)
Collocations
Agile development
|Agile methodology
|Agile project management
|Agile practices
|Agile framework
|Agile team
|Agile sprint
|Agile coach
|Agile principles
|Agile transformation
Themes
technology
|business
|project_management
|software
Examples
- The product team uses Agile methods to release updates every two weeks.
- They’re moving from a waterfall model to an Agile approach.
- Agile practices helped the team incorporate user feedback earlier.
Learner examples
- We use Agile development.
- Our team works in Agile sprints.
Grammar
Dictionary form
agile
IPA
GB/ˈæd͡ʒəl/
US/ˈæd͡ʒəl/
Syllables & stress
agile (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (agile)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: agile
Word family
Core family
agility
noun B2
Expressions
agile coach
1/ˈæd͡ʒəl kˈoʊt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
business
person who guides Agile practice
someone who teaches and supports Agile work
Examples
- They hired an Agile coach to help several teams change their workflow.
- As an Agile coach, her job is to remove obstacles and improve collaboration.
- The Agile coach ran a workshop on planning and retrospectives.
agile development
1/ˈæd͡ʒəl dɪvˈɛləpmənt/
fixed phrase
technical
iterative software/product development
building in small steps and improving often
Examples
- Agile development lets us ship a small feature and improve it quickly.
- They switched to Agile development after repeated delays under the old system.
- In Agile development, user feedback can change the next release.
agile methodology
1/ˈæd͡ʒəl mˌɛθədˈɑləd͡ʒi/
fixed phrase
technical
iterative approach to projects
a way to manage work in short cycles and adjust often
Examples
- The company adopted Agile methodology to speed up product releases.
- Agile methodology encourages teams to adjust plans based on real user feedback.
- She trained the department in Agile methodology.
agile project management
1/ˈæd͡ʒəl pɹˈɑd͡ʒɛkt mˈænɪd͡ʒmənt/
fixed phrase
business
managing projects in short cycles
managing projects by planning and updating often
Examples
- Agile project management helped the team handle changing requirements.
- She earned a certification in Agile project management.
- With Agile project management, the plan is updated as the project evolves.
agile sprint
1/ˈæd͡ʒəl spɹˈɪnt/
fixed phrase
technical
short time-boxed work period
a short period to finish planned tasks
Examples
- We’ll tackle the login redesign in the next Agile sprint.
- At the end of each sprint, the team demos what they built.
- They shortened the sprint to two weeks to get feedback sooner.
agile sprint
4/ˈæd͡ʒəl spɹˈɪnt/
fixed phrase
technical
Short Agile work cycle
In Agile software development, a short, fixed time when a team works on planned tasks.
Examples
- Each agile sprint in our team lasts two weeks.
- We review our progress at the end of every agile sprint.
agile transformation
1/ˈæd͡ʒəl tɹˌænsfɚmˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
business
organization-wide shift to Agile
a big company change to work in Agile ways
Examples
- The bank launched an Agile transformation to reduce time to market.
- An Agile transformation takes more than new tools—it changes how decisions are made.
- They paused the Agile transformation to address training gaps.
agile working
1/ˈæd͡ʒəl wˈɚkɪŋ/
fixed phrase
business
flexible ways of working
working in flexible ways (time/place/arrangements)
Examples
- The company introduced agile working so staff can choose where they work.
- Agile working can reduce office costs and improve work–life balance.
- Their agile working policy allows teams to coordinate their schedules.