nimble
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nimble
- /ˈnɪmbəl/
- [ˈnɪmbəl] ~ [ˈnɪmbl̩]
Rhymes with -ɪmbəl
Where it comes from
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.
adjective nimbler · nimblest
- Adept at taking or grasping. nimble fingers
- Quick and light in movement or action. He was too nimble for the assailant and easily escaped his grasp.
- Quickwitted and alert. He has a nimble mind and can improvise in any situation.
Opposite: sluggish
verb nimbles · nimbling · nimbled
- To 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: agile, quick, spry, intelligent, active, prompt, swift, speedy, expeditious, lean, supple, flexible, flexibly, smooth, adroit, soft
adjective
Opposite: sluggish
Translations
Every language
adj quick and light in movement or action
| Español | ágil |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 敏捷 mǐnjié |
| Português | ágil, ligeiro |
| Français | agile, fulgurant, preste, leste |
| Deutsch | schnell, gelenkig, behänd, flink, wendig, leichtfüssig |
| Italiano | agile, leggero, svelto |
| Ελληνικά | ευκίνητος efkínitos, σβέλτος svéltos |
| Română | ager, vioi, agil |
| Русский | прово́рный provórnyj, ло́вкий lóvkij, шу́стрый šústryj, вёрткий vjórtkij, бы́стрый býstryj, юркий jurkij |
adj quick-witted and alert
| Español | hábil, despierto, avispado |
|---|---|
| Português | ágil, esperto |
| Français | vif |
| Deutsch | geschickt |
| Italiano | intelligente, versatile, sveglio, pronto |
| Ελληνικά | εύστροφος éfstrofos |
| Română | ager |
| Русский | сообрази́тельный soobrazítelʹnyj, нахо́дчивый naxódčivyj |
Talk about this word "nimble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nimble. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nimble. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nimble "nimble." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nimble.Cite this
@misc{nimble_2026,
title = {nimble},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nimble},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
