graceful ADJECTIVE graceful movement is smooth and beautiful smooth ADJECTIVE a smooth movement is easy and well controlled fluid ADJECTIVE graceful and continuing without any pauses or sudden changes balletic ADJECTIVE a balletic movement is very graceful and controlled dainty ADJECTIVE a dainty movement or action is small and graceful gentle ADJECTIVE gentle movement does not use or need a lot of force or effort lithe ADJECTIVE moving and bending in a graceful way supple ADJECTIVE able to move and bend your body very easily and in a graceful way fluent ADJECTIVE fluent movements are smooth and seem to be done without any effort feline ADJECTIVE MAINLY LITERARY having the graceful looks or movements of a cat Describing movement away and changes of direction - THESAURUS SYNONYMS away ADVERB turning or looking towards a different direction backward ADJECTIVE moving or looking in the direction that is behind you outwards ADVERB away from the centre of something, or towards the outside of it around ADVERB moving so that you face in the opposite direction round ADVERB BRITISH moving so that you face in the opposite direction back ADVERB away from an original position or place up ADJECTIVE moving along a road, street, path etc, or at a point along it in a direction away from you down ADJECTIVE at a point somewhere on a road, path etc in a direction away from you against PREPOSITION if someone or something moves against the wind, the current etc, they face it and move in the opposite direction about ADVERB LITERARY moving so that you face in the opposite direction Describing movement up or down - THESAURUS SYNONYMS upward ADJECTIVE moving or turned towards a higher position downward ADJECTIVE going towards a lower place or level ascending ADJECTIVE moving towards a higher level or position up ADJECTIVE from a lower place to a higher place down ADJECTIVE moving towards a lower place or position up and down PHRASE rising and falling, or from bottom to top bouncy ADJECTIVE a bouncy surface moves up and down when you walk, jump etc on it under ADVERB moving to a place that is below something or that is covered by it down ADJECTIVE from a higher place to the ground skywards ADVERB upwards, towards the sky Describing movement towards a place or person - THESAURUS SYNONYMS direct ADJECTIVE going straight to a place and not stopping or changing direction on the way there advancing ADJECTIVE moving forwards or progressing oncoming ADJECTIVE moving towards you ahead ADVERB moving, pointing, or looking towards a place in front of you up ADJECTIVE moving near to someone or something and then stopping forward ADJECTIVE moving in the direction in front of you into PREPOSITION moving towards something and hitting it towards PREPOSITION used for saying in which direction someone or something is going, facing, or looking bound for something PHRASE travelling towards a place from all sides PHRASE from all directions towards one object or person Describing movement towards or away from land - THESAURUS SYNONYMS ashore ADVERB to or onto land from the water or a ship inland ADVERB in a direction away from the coast inshore ADVERB near or towards a coast from the direction of the sea on shore PHRASE if you go on shore, you go onto the land from a ship seaward ADJECTIVE coming from the sea seaward ADJECTIVE the seaward side of something is nearest the sea earthwards ADVERB towards the earth onshore ADJECTIVE moving towards land from the sea Describing circular movements - THESAURUS SYNONYMS round ADVERB BRITISH moving in a circular way circular ADJECTIVE involving movement in a circle revolving ADJECTIVE turning in a circle around a central point around ADVERB moving in a circular way rotary ADJECTIVE turning around a fixed point Describing graceful movements - THESAURUS SYNONYMS graceful ADJECTIVE graceful movement is smooth and beautiful smooth ADJECTIVE a smooth movement is easy and well controlled fluid ADJECTIVE graceful and continuing without any pauses or sudden changes balletic ADJECTIVE a balletic movement is very graceful and controlled dainty ADJECTIVE a dainty movement or action is small and graceful gentle ADJECTIVE gentle movement does not use or need a lot of force or effort lithe ADJECTIVE moving and bending in a graceful way supple ADJECTIVE able to move and bend your body very easily and in a graceful way fluent ADJECTIVE fluent movements are smooth and seem to be done without any effort feline ADJECTIVE MAINLY LITERARY having the graceful looks or movements of a cat Describing clumsiness and awkward movements - THESAURUS SYNONYMS clumsy ADJECTIVE a clumsy person moves in a way that is not careful or graceful, and breaks things or knocks against them awkward ADJECTIVE slightly wrong and not attractive or graceful ungainly ADJECTIVE not moving in an attractive or graceful way wooden ADJECTIVE a dancer who is wooden moves in a very stiff way that does not look natural or graceful uncoordinated ADJECTIVE not graceful or able to control how you move heavy ADJECTIVE used about a way of moving that is slow and not graceful jerky ADJECTIVE a jerky movement consists of several separate short movements convulsive ADJECTIVE convulsive movements are violent and difficult to control have two left feet PHRASE to be not at all graceful when you move, dance, or play sport be all fingers and thumbs PHRASE to be unable to do a small difficult job because you cannot control your fingers well enough Not moving - THESAURUS SYNONYMS still ADJECTIVE not moving static ADJECTIVE if something is static, it does not move or change stationary ADJECTIVE not moving motionless ADJECTIVE not moving at all immobile ADJECTIVE not moving inert ADJECTIVE not moving sedentary ADJECTIVE FORMAL not moving to different areas undisturbed ADJECTIVE not touched or moved by anyone stiff ADJECTIVE if something that should move easily is stiff, it does not move or operate as easily as you expect at rest PHRASE FORMAL not moving Unable to move or be moved - THESAURUS SYNONYMS locked-in syndrome NOUN a condition in which a patient is awake and aware but cannot move or speak because almost all the muscles in the body except for the eyes are paralysed paralysed ADJECTIVE unable to move your body or part of it, usually because of an injury or illness stuck ADJECTIVE caught or held in a position so that you cannot move immobile ADJECTIVE unable to move or walk immovable ADJECTIVE something that is immovable cannot be moved stunned ADJECTIVE unable to move normally because you have been hit very hard frozen ADJECTIVE unable to move because of fear or surprise rigid ADJECTIVE unable to move because of a strong emotion such as fear or anger paralysed ADJECTIVE temporarily unable to move or think clearly catatonic ADJECTIVE MEDICAL unable to move or control your movements as a result of illness or shock Able to move and ability to be moved - THESAURUS SYNONYMS mobile ADJECTIVE able to move and walk movable ADJECTIVE something that is movable can be moved from one place or position to another portable ADJECTIVE something that is portable is easy to carry or move, so that you can use it in different places manoeuvrable ADJECTIVE able to be moved easily in situations that need care or skill mobile ADJECTIVE easy to move and use in different places mobile ADJECTIVE able to travel from one place to another because you have a vehicle mobility NOUN the ability to move a part of your body mobility NOUN the ability to move and walk normally mobility NOUN the ability to travel from one place to another moveable another spelling of movable To move, or to move something away or back - THESAURUS SYNONYMS back away PHRASAL VERB to move away backwards from someone, for example because you are afraid draw back PHRASAL VERB to move away from someone part VERB to move away from someone or something and leave a space, or to move two things or two sections of a single unit away from each other so that there is a space between them pull away PHRASAL VERB to move away from someone who is trying to hold you or touch you back VERB to move backwards, or to make someone move backwards retreat VERB to move back and cover less of a place backtrack VERB to go back in the direction from which you have come stand aside PHRASAL VERB to move to one side in order to let someone go past you scatter VERB if a group of people or animals scatter, they suddenly move away in different directions shrink VERB to move back or away from someone or something, especially because you are frightened or nervous Describing movement up and down or backwards and forwards - THESAURUS SYNONYMS back and forth PHRASE moving first in one direction and then in the opposite direction many times from side to side PHRASE an object that moves from side to side moves from left to right, then from right to left, then back again up and down PHRASE backwards and forwards backwards and forwards PHRASE moving first in one direction and then in the opposite direction many times to and fro ADVERB in one direction and then back again heaving ADJECTIVE moving up and down with large regular movements two-way ADJECTIVE moving in two opposite directions hither and thither PHRASE in many different directions about ADVERB moving to many different parts or areas, or in different directions
