1
Core meaning
Cheerful, prompt, and energetic willingness to act or respond.
Example
She accepted the difficult assignment with alacrity.
alacrity
/əˈlækrɪti/ · uh-LAK-rih-teenoun
Cheerful, prompt, and energetic willingness to act or respond.
Use alacrity to express this relationship precisely: cheerful, prompt, and energetic willingness to act or respond.
What alacrity Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common noun frame
Use this noun in a complete noun phrase, adding the complement that identifies what it refers to when needed.
Example
Volunteers responded with remarkable alacrity when help was requested.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact concept matters; a related term may describe its cause, evidence, or opposite instead.
Example
His alacrity suggested genuine enthusiasm rather than reluctant compliance.
Use alacrity Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
She accepted the difficult assignment with alacrity.
Volunteers responded with remarkable alacrity when help was requested.
His alacrity suggested genuine enthusiasm rather than reluctant compliance.
Precision Matters
Alacrity overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
alacrity
vs.Means cheerful, prompt, and energetic willingness to act or respond.
zealous
Means showing intense enthusiasm, energy, or devotion to a cause or goal.
alacrity
vs.Means cheerful, prompt, and energetic willingness to act or respond.
torpid
Means inactive, sluggish, or lacking physical or mental energy.
alacrity
vs.Means cheerful, prompt, and energetic willingness to act or respond.
nonchalant
Means appearing casually calm, unconcerned, or indifferent, especially in a situation that might provoke anxiety.
alacrity
vs.Means cheerful, prompt, and energetic willingness to act or respond.
effusive
Means expressing approval, gratitude, or emotion with unusually great enthusiasm.
Test alacrity in Context
They responded promptly, eagerly, and cheerfully.
1
When the curator asked for help cataloguing the new collection, the students volunteered with ___.