mobility

English[edit]

From Middle French mobilité, and its source, Latin mōbilitās (“mobility”).

mobility (countable and uncountable, plural mobilities)

The ability to move; capacity for movement. [from 15th c.]
Synonym: mobileness
- 2015 June 15, Hadley Freeman, The Guardian:
  I find the enduring existence of high heels both a frustrating mystery and a testament to the triumph of women’s neuroses over their mobility.
- 2022 December 14, David Turner, “The Edwardian Christmas getaway...”, in RAIL, number 972, page 32:
  In the late 19th and early 20th century, the festive season was also a period of great mobility before, during and after Christmas Day. But the railways kept working.
(now chiefly literary) A tendency to sudden change; mutability, changeableness. [from 16th c.]
(military) The ability of a military unit to move or be transported to a new position. [from 18th c.]
(chiefly physics) The degree to which particles of a liquid or gas are in movement. [from 19th c.]
(chiefly sociology) People's ability to move between different social levels or professional occupations. [from 19th c.]
- 2020 July 28, Thomas B. Edsall, “Trump Is Trying to Bend Reality to His Will”, in New York Times‎^[1]:
  The difficulty of rising up the economic ladder is reflected in the decline in mobility in the United States. […] The frustration over the lack of mobility is particularly acute for those without college degrees.

terms related to mobility (noun)

ability to move

ability of a military unit to move or be transported to a new position

ease of movement between social levels