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alacrity

/əˈlækrədi/
/əˈlækrəti/
IPA guide

Other forms: alacrities

Someone with alacrity shows cheerful willingness and eager behavior, like a kid whose mother has told him he can buy anything in a candy store.

While the noun alacrity normally refers to someone's peppy behavior, it can also describe a certain mood or tempo of a musical composition, indicating how the music should be played. Alacrity comes from the Latin alacritas, and the Italian musical term allegro is a near relation.

Definitions of alacrity
  1. noun
    liveliness and eagerness
    “he accepted with alacrity
    synonyms: briskness, smartness
    see moresee less
    type of:
    life, liveliness, spirit, sprightliness
    animation and energy in action or expression
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