alacrity

English

Etymology

Mid-15th century; from Middle English alacrite, from Latin alacritās, from alacer (“brisk”) + -itās (“-ity”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) enPR: ə-lă'crĭ-tē, IPA^(key): /əˈlækɹɨti/

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Noun

alacrity (countable and uncountable, plural alacrities)

1. Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.

   Synonyms: avidity, eagerness, enthusiasm, willingness

   Antonyms: apathy, disinclination, hesitance, indifference, reluctance

   • 1553 (posth.), Thomas More, A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation, Book I, Chapter 19:

     Besides, a wealthy man, well at ease, may pray to God quietly and merrily with alacrity and great quietness of mind, whereas he who lieth groaning in his grief cannot endure to pray nor can he hardly think upon anything but his pain.

   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     I have not that alacrity of spirit / Nor cheer of mind that I was wont to have.

   • 1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, chapter XII, in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, London: Chapman and Hall, , published 1837, →OCLC:

     "I'll get into the clothes this minute, if they're here," said Sam, with great alacrity.

   • 1920, Edward Arlington Robinson, “Tasker Norcross”, in The Three Taverns:

     You have an overgrown alacrity
     For saying nothing much and hearing less […]

   • 1922, Edith Wharton, chapter 24, in The Glimpses of the Moon:

     This evening, however, he was struck by the beaming alacrity of the aide-de-camp's greeting.

2. Promptness; speed.

   Synonyms: briskness, celerity, haste, promptness, quickness, swiftness

   • 1848 (date delivered; published 1849), Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “[Anti-Slavery and Reform Papers.] Civil Disobedience.”, in A Yankee in Canada, with Anti-Slavery and Reform Papers, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, published 1866, →OCLC, page 124:

     Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. […] Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way.

   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, , →OCLC, part I, page 205, column 2:

     He had a uniform jacket with one button off, and seeing a white man on the path, hoisted his weapon to his shoulder with alacrity.

   • 2019, Tristan, Stack Exchange‎:

     Not just that, but if the inlet of a turbopump impeller runs dry, it would overspeed with blinding alacrity.

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