mobility

mobility — noun

1. how easily a person can move their body from one position or place to another, f

1.nounB2
Definition

how easily a person can move their body from one position or place to another, for example by walking, standing up, or getting in and out of a seat or bed

Example

After breaking her hip, Paloma's mobility was limited for several months.

possessive noun + mobility — personal physical condition

The nursing home installed grab bars in every bathroom to improve residents' mobility.

Common collocations
  • improve mobility
  • regain mobility
  • limited mobility
  • impaired mobility
  • mobility aids
  • mobility issues
  • mobility problems
  • mobility scooter
Synonyms
  • movement

    broader term covering any motion; less specific than mobility about the ability to move freely

  • range of motion

    more technical; refers to how far a body part can move at a joint

  • physical freedom

    less common; emphasises the lack of restriction rather than the ability itself

Antonyms
  • immobility

    direct opposite: inability to move

  • paralysis

    stronger and more specific: complete loss of movement in part of the body

Usage Note

Often paired with verbs like improve, maintain, regain, or limit when discussing physical health or recovery.

Common Mistakes

He has a good mobility.
He has good mobility.
mobility is uncountable and never takes 'a'.

2. the quality of an object or piece of equipment being designed so that it can be

2.nounB2
Definition

the quality of an object or piece of equipment being designed so that it can be carried, folded, or moved from one location to another without much effort

Example

The lightweight frame gives this folding wheelchair excellent mobility for travel.

collocation: excellent/good mobility (of objects)

Naoko chose the compact speaker because its mobility meant she could take it anywhere.

Common collocations
  • excellent mobility
  • offer mobility
  • provide mobility
  • mobility for travel
  • mobility of equipment
  • mobility of furniture
Synonyms
  • portability

    more common and narrower; focuses on being easy to carry

  • transportability

    more formal and less common; emphasises suitability for being moved

  • manoeuvrability

    focuses on ease of steering or moving in tight spaces

Antonyms
  • immovability

    the quality of being fixed in place and hard to move

  • bulk

    large size and weight that make movement difficult

Usage Note

Used for objects, furniture, or equipment — not for people. Compare sense 1 (BODY MOVEMENT), which applies to humans.

Common Mistakes

This chair has a good mobility.
This chair offers good mobility.
use offer or provide rather than have for objects.

3. the ability of an individual or group to rise or fall to a different social clas

3.nounB2
Definition

the ability of an individual or group to rise or fall to a different social class, income level, or professional position within a society's structure

Example

Access to higher education has long been considered the engine of upward social mobility.

collocation: upward / downward social mobility

Devika's promotion to store manager after years on the sales floor showed real economic mobility.

collocation: economic mobility + possessive noun describing a person's career path

Common collocations
  • social mobility
  • upward mobility
  • downward mobility
  • economic mobility
  • job mobility
  • occupational mobility
  • intergenerational mobility
  • rates of mobility
  • promote mobility
  • barriers to mobility
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • social stagnation

    the condition where social position remains fixed across generations

  • class rigidity

    a system that makes it difficult to move between social classes

Usage Note

Frequently modified by adjectives indicating direction (upward, downward) or domain (social, economic, job, occupational). Commonly appears in academic, political, and journalistic writing.

Common Mistakes

Social mobility means how people can move.
Social mobility refers to the opportunity for individuals to change their social or economic position.
avoid simple repetition of the word move in the explanation.
The mobility in this company is good.
Job mobility in this company is high.
use high/low rather than good/bad when quantifying mobility.

4. the degree to which a person can use internet services, apps, or communication t

4.nounB2
Definition

the degree to which a person can use internet services, apps, or communication tools on a portable device such as a smartphone or tablet while away from a fixed office or home

Example

The new software platform was built with full mobility in mind for remote workers.

collocation: (built/designed) with mobility in mind

Advances in 5G networks have dramatically improved mobility for professionals on the go.

Common collocations
  • mobility solution
  • mobility strategy
  • enterprise mobility
  • mobility platform
  • mobility management
  • workforce mobility
  • designed with mobility in mind
  • mobility for remote workers
Synonyms
  • mobile access

    more concrete; refers to the ability to reach services via a mobile device

  • on-the-go connectivity

    informal; emphasises staying connected while travelling

  • remote access

    broader; includes working from home or any off-site location, not just while moving

Antonyms
  • fixed access

    restriction of services to desktop computers or wired connections

  • stationary use

    using technology only in one fixed location

Usage Note

Common in business and technology writing. Often appears in phrases like mobility solution, mobility strategy, or enterprise mobility.

Common Mistakes

Mobility of this phone is good.
This phone offers good mobility for users on the go.
mobility in the tech sense refers to the experience, not a built-in property of the device itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mobility, movement, range of motion, and portability all relate to motion but differ in scope. Mobility focuses on the ability to move freely — especially after injury or with age. It is broader than movement, which describes any instance of changing position but says nothing about whether the person can do it easily. Range of motion is a clinical term used by physiotherapists to measure how far a joint can bend or rotate; it is narrower and more technical. Portability is the closest synonym for sense 2 (EASILY TRANSPORTED) but does not fit sense 1 at all — you would never say 'a patient's portability improved after surgery.' For everyday usage: 'The exercises helped restore his mobility after the stroke' (ability to move freely), not 'restore his movement' (too vague) or 'restore his range of motion' (too clinical).

mobility ↗movement ↗range of motionportability ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mobility aid
  • mobility scooter
  • mobility trainer
  • mobility service
  • mobility device
  • mobility issue
  • mobility problem
  • mobility rate
  • mobility study
  • mobility report

Adverbs

Phrases

  • improve mobility
  • regain mobility
  • restore mobility
  • enhance mobility
  • limit mobility
  • restrict mobility
  • reduce mobility
  • increase mobility
  • promote mobility
  • achieve mobility
  • maintain mobility
  • lose mobility
  • affect mobility
  • offer mobility
  • provide mobility

Prepositions

  • mobility for
  • mobility in
  • mobility within
  • mobility across
  • mobility between
  • mobility among
  • mobility of
  • mobility through

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Mobility comes from the Latin word mobilitas, meaning 'readiness to move,' which itself came from mobilis ('movable' or 'easy to move'). English borrowed the word through French mobilité in the 1400s. For centuries it referred only to physical movement. The social sense — moving between classes or jobs — emerged in the early 1900s alongside the growth of sociology as a field. The technology sense appeared in the 1990s as mobile phones and laptops changed how people work and communicate.