Agile: meaning, definitions and examples

Often used to describe a person's physical or mental ability to move quickly and easily. Commonly used in the context of sports, physical activities, and software development methodologies.

• The athlete's agile movements helped him avoid the defender.
• Our agile team was able to adapt to the sudden project changes quickly.

Describes quickness and lightness in movement, suggesting dexterity and skill. It often applies to people, animals, or objects that can move fast and with ease.

• The cat was nimble, jumping over obstacles with ease.
• Her nimble fingers danced across the keyboard, typing at an impressive speed.

Used to describe both physical ability to bend easily without breaking and the willingness to change or compromise. It's appropriate for various contexts such as work schedules, plans, and physical traits.

• Yoga has made her body incredibly flexible.
• The manager is flexible with deadlines as long as the work is of high quality.

Refers to the ability to adjust to new conditions or changes. Suitable for describing both people and systems that can easily accommodate different situations.

• She is very adaptable and thrives in diverse work environments.
• The software is highly adaptable to various operating systems.

Used to describe someone or something that can move quickly and easily, or to describe flexible working methods often used in software development.

• The gymnast is very agile.
• Our team adopted an agile approach to stay competitive in the market.

Used to describe a process that is repeated several times with the aim of getting closer to the desired result each time. Commonly used in software development and project management.

• Our approach to product design is iterative, allowing us to refine the end result.
• The team used an iterative process to improve the software through multiple updates.

Best used to describe efforts or tasks that require working together with others towards a common goal.

• We completed the project quickly thanks to our collaborative spirit.
• The new software encourages collaborative work among team members.

Refers to achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense. Often used in contexts where time and resources are being optimized.

• The new system is more efficient than the old one.
• He is an efficient worker who gets tasks done quickly.