acceleration

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ækˌsɛləˈreɪʃən/ UK /əkˌsɛləˈreɪʃən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the rate of increase of speed or, more generally, the act of speeding up

The car's rapid acceleration pressed them back into their seats.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the rate of increase of... quickeningspeeduphasteningexpedition

Opposites

decelerationslowdownretardation braking

Word family

Related forms accelerate acceleratoraccelerativecelerity

Etymology

From Latin accelerātiō, from accelerāre ('to hasten'), from ad- ('to') + celer ('swift').

accelerāre Latin celer Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

# acceleration

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ækˌsɛləˈreɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** əkˌsɛləˈreɪʃən

## Meanings
1. the rate of increase of speed or, more generally, the act of speeding up

## Examples
- The car's rapid acceleration pressed them back into their seats.

## Synonyms
- quickening
- speedup
- hastening
- expedition

## Antonyms
- deceleration
- slowdown
- retardation
- braking

## Related Forms
- accelerate
- accelerator
- accelerative
- celerity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: accelerāre
- Root: celer

## Etymology
From Latin accelerātiō, from accelerāre ('to hasten'), from ad- ('to') + celer ('swift').

## AI Etymology
Acceleration is a noun meaning "the rate of increase of speed or, more generally, the act of speeding up". Historically, it is from Latin accelerātiō, from accelerāre ('to hasten'), from ad- ('to') + celer ('swift'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: acceleration is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain links Latin accelerāre with Latin celer. Close English family members include accelerate, accelerator, accelerative, and celerity.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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acceleration

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