alacrity means eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 79 out of 100.
alacrity is pronounced /əˈlakrᵻti/.
Why “alacrity” is a great word
ALACRITY — [Noun] Brisk and cheerful readiness or promptness in action or response. From Latin alacritās ("liveliness, eagerness"), from alacer ("brisk, lively") + -itās ("-ity, state of"). First recorded in English in the mid-15th century. Unlike "hesitation," which implies a drag on the will, or "apathy," which is a void of spirit, alacrity is eagerness made kinetic. It is the messenger’s springing step with glad tidings, the immediate snap-to at a longed-for order, and the eager rustle of pages as a curious mind opens a long-awaited book—a fleeting, virtuous alignment of desire and deed.
noun
- Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm.“Besides, a wealthy man, well at ease, may pray to God quietly and merrily with alacrity and great quietness of mind, whereas he who lieth groaning in his grief cannot endure to pray nor can he hardly think upon anything but his pain.”
- Promptness; speed.“Governments show thus how successfully men can be imposed on, even impose on themselves, for their own advantage. […] Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way.”