Meanings
comparative nimbler · superlative nimblest
- Quick and light in movement or action.
He was too nimble for the assailant and easily escaped his grasp.
3 more examples
[…] if the men should not agree what to play, but one would have a grave Pavane, another a nimbler Galliard, a third some frisking toy or Iigg, and then all of them should be wilful, none yield to his fellow, but every one scrape on his own tune as loud as he could: what a hideous hateful noise may you imagine would such a mess of Musick be?
1656, Robert Sanderson, Twenty Sermons, London: Henry Seile, Sermon 13, p. 267Attempts to introduce versions of "market communism" — in China, Hungary or Yugoslavia — have shown how hard it is to make mainly state-owned economies as nimble as mainly private ones.
1988, The Economist, volume 306, numbers 7532-7539, page 13The quickest and nimblest were probably the oxycones, throwing themselves through the water like discuses.
2017, Danna Staaf, Squid Empire, ForeEdge, →ISBN, page 87 - Quickwitted and alert.
He has a nimble mind and can improvise in any situation.
1 more example
"It requires you to be flexible and nimble in your thinking and Huw has already demonstrated that," said Greenwood, [...]
2020 May 20, “Merriman praised over handling of TSC's 'virtual' transition”, in Rail, page 12
present singular third person nimbles · participle present nimbling · participle past nimbled · past nimbled
- intransitiveTo move nimbly.
Their teeth are regularly and assiduously cleaned by shrimp that nimble in and out of the moray's mouth like ballet dancers in the jaws of a mechanical stage dragon.
2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, page 72
Synonyms & antonyms
antonym(s) of “quick and light in movement or action”
adjectivementally quick
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishnumol“able to take, capable of holding”
- Old Englishnǣmel“receptive, quick to grasp”
- Middle Englishnymyl
- Englishnimble
With intrusive -b-, inherited from Middle English nymyl, nemel, nemyll, nymell (“agile, quick, ready, able, capable”), a merger of Old English nǣmel (“receptive, quick to grasp”) and Old English numol (“able to take, capable of holding”), both from niman (“to take”) + -el, -ol (associative suffix), corresponding to nim + -le. Compare German nehmen, Gothic 𐌽𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (niman), Old Norse nema (“to take”). More at nim.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek εὐκίνητος, λαιψηρός
- εὐκίνητος (eukínētos)quick and light in movement or action
- λαιψηρός (laipsērós)quick and light in movement or action
- κοῦφος (koûphos)quick and light in movement or action
Bulgarian чевръст, бърз
- чевръст (čevrăst)adept at taking or grasping
- бърз (bărz)quick and light in movement or action
- подвижен (podvižen)quick and light in movement or action
- находчив (nahodčiv)quick-witted and alert
- съобразителен (săobrazitelen)quick-witted and alert
Catalan destre, àgil
- destreadept at taking or grasping
- àgilquick and light in movement or action
- àgilquick-witted and alert
- atentquick-witted and alert
Chinese Mandarin 敏捷
- 敏捷 (mǐnjié)quick and light in movement or action
Czech obratný, hbitý
- obratnýadept at taking or grasping
- hbitýadept at taking or grasping
- mrštnýquick and light in movement or action
- hbitýquick and light in movement or action
- bystrýquick-witted and alert
- pohotovýquick-witted and alert
Danish flink, rask
- flinkquick and light in movement or action
- raskquick and light in movement or action
Dutch vingervlug, behendig
- vingervlugadept at taking or grasping
- behendigquick and light in movement or action
- wendbaarquick and light in movement or action
- lichtvoetigquick and light in movement or action
- alertquick-witted and alert
- gevatquick-witted and alert
- spitsquick-witted and alert
Finnish ketterä, vikkelä
- ketteräquick and light in movement or action
- vikkeläquick and light in movement or action
- nopeaälyinenquick-witted and alert
- valpasquick-witted and alert
French agile, fulgurant
- agilequick and light in movement or action
- fulgurantquick and light in movement or action
- prestequick and light in movement or action
- lestequick and light in movement or action
- vifquick-witted and alert
German schnell, gelenkig
- schnellquick and light in movement or action
- gelenkigquick and light in movement or action
- behändquick and light in movement or action
- flinkquick and light in movement or action
- wendigquick and light in movement or action
- leichtfüssigquick and light in movement or action
- gewandtquick and light in movement or action
- geschicktquick and light in movement or action
- geschicktquick-witted and alert
Greek ευκίνητος, σβέλτος
- ευκίνητος (efkínitos)quick and light in movement or action
- σβέλτος (svéltos)quick and light in movement or action
- εύστροφος (éfstrofos)quick-witted and alert
Hawaiian māmā
- māmāquick and light in movement or action
Hungarian fürge, hajlékony
- fürgequick and light in movement or action
- hajlékonyquick and light in movement or action
- gyorsquick and light in movement or action
- okosquick-witted and alert
- ötletesquick-witted and alert
Irish éasca, luaineach
- éascaquick and light in movement or action
- luaineachquick and light in movement or action
- mearquick and light in movement or action
- lúfarquick and light in movement or action
Italian agile, leggero
- agilequick and light in movement or action
- leggeroquick and light in movement or action
- sveltoquick and light in movement or action
- intelligentequick-witted and alert
- versatilequick-witted and alert
- sveglioquick-witted and alert
- prontoquick-witted and alert
Latin pernix, agilis
- pernixquick and light in movement or action
- agilisquick and light in movement or action
Malay tangkas
- tangkasquick and light in movement or action
Māori māmā, tūkawikawi
- māmāquick and light in movement or action
- tūkawikawiquick and light in movement or action
- kakamaquick and light in movement or action
- kamakamaquick and light in movement or action
- nahoquick-witted and alert
- ngutu atamaiquick-witted and alert
- atamaiquick-witted and alert
Norwegian kjapp, rask
- kjappquick and light in movement or action
- raskquick and light in movement or action
- flinkquick and light in movement or action
- raskquick-witted and alert
Persian زیرک, باهوش
- زیرک (zirak)adept at taking or grasping
- باهوشadept at taking or grasping
- تیز (tiz)adept at taking or grasping
- چابک (čâbok)quick and light in movement or action
- چالاک (čâlâk)quick and light in movement or action
- فرز (ferz)quick and light in movement or action
- تیز (tiz)quick and light in movement or action
- زیرک (zirak)quick-witted and alert
Polish zręczny, zwinny
- zręcznyquick and light in movement or action
- zwinnyquick and light in movement or action
Portuguese ágil, ligeiro
- ágilquick and light in movement or action
- ligeiroquick and light in movement or action
- ágilquick-witted and alert
- espertoquick-witted and alert
Romanian agil, ager
- agiladept at taking or grasping
- agerquick and light in movement or action
- vioiquick and light in movement or action
- agilquick and light in movement or action
- agerquick-witted and alert
Russian цепкий, прово́рный
- цепкий (cepkij)adept at taking or grasping
- прово́рный (provórnyj)quick and light in movement or action
- ло́вкий (lóvkij)quick and light in movement or action
- шу́стрый (šústryj)quick and light in movement or action
- вёрткий (vjórtkij)quick and light in movement or action
- бы́стрый (býstryj)quick and light in movement or action
- юркий (jurkij)quick and light in movement or action
- сообрази́тельный (soobrazítelʹnyj)quick-witted and alert
- нахо́дчивый (naxódčivyj)quick-witted and alert
Spanish diestro, ágil
- diestroadept at taking or grasping
- ágilquick and light in movement or action
- hábilquick-witted and alert
- despiertoquick-witted and alert
- avispadoquick-witted and alert
Swedish kvick, vig
- kvickquick and light in movement or action
- vigquick and light in movement or action
- smidigquick and light in movement or action
- snabbquick and light in movement or action
- lättquick and light in movement or action
- ledigquick and light in movement or action
- flinkquick and light in movement or action
- raskquick and light in movement or action
- fermquick and light in movement or action
- kvickquick-witted and alert
- snabbtänktquick-witted and alert
- livligquick-witted and alert
Thai คล่อง, คล่อง
- คล่อง (klɔ̂ng)quick and light in movement or action
- คล่อง (klɔ̂ng)quick-witted and alert
Turkish atik, çevik
- atikquick and light in movement or action
- çevikquick and light in movement or action
- açıkgözquick and light in movement or action
- çabuklukquick and light in movement or action
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with nimble
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
nimble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nimble
“nimble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nimble. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nimble,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nimble.
Source: nimble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.