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

Although the severity varies, about 25% of people with ME/CFS are house- or bedbound, and some need a wheelchair or another mobility device to get around. —Katie Camero, SELF, 17 Dec. 2024

The company president also noted that the mobility of buyers across the industry further enhances the brand’s reach. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 17 Dec. 2024

Unfortunately, that’s where niche electric mobility is at, right now. —New Atlas, 16 Dec. 2024

There is, famously, less social mobility in the U.S. than Americans would like to believe, but al-Gharbi’s trajectory has involved an exceptional amount of change. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mobility

• micro-mobility
• mobility scooter
• upward mobility