adept

1 of 2

adjective

: thoroughly proficient : expert
an adept negotiator
He's adept at fixing computers.
adeptly adverb
She dealt with the changes adeptly.
adeptness noun

adept

2 of 2

noun

ad·​ept ˈa-ˌdept How to pronounce adept (audio) ə-ˈdept How to pronounce adept (audio)
a-ˈdept
: a highly skilled or well-trained individual : expert
an adept at chess
Choose the Right Synonym for adept

proficient, adept, skilled, skillful, expert mean having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession.

proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

Examples of adept in a Sentence

Adjective Madison, Jefferson's lifelong friend, collaborator, and political ally, was quizzical and skeptical. His mind was less capacious and less elevated than Jefferson's, but more … original, and instinctively contrary. Less learned than Jefferson, his verbal skills inferior, he was almost pedantically alert to inner complications, and so, though less adept a politician, he was more consistent. Bernard Bailyn, To Begin the World Anew, 2003
Three small figurines carved of ivory from mammoth tusks have been found in a cave in southwestern Germany, providing stronger evidence that human ancestors were already adept at figurative art more than 30,000 years ago, an archaeologist is reporting today. John Noble Wilford, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2003
The Angels exploited center-fielder Bernie Williams's weak throwing arm in the division series against the Yankees and are adept at scampering from first to third on hits to the outfield. Jack Curry, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2002
Barnum was especially adept at pulling back one curtain after another, keeping the audience in a state of panting uncertainty, perpetually postponing the revelation of what was "really" going on. Jackson Lears, New Republic, 12 Nov. 2001
He's adept in several languages. he's an adept pitcher, and the team is lucky to have him Noun Once safely back in Paris, and having attained his majority, the poet squandered his inheritance with an adept's fervor … Nicholas Delbanco, Harper's, September 2004
They recruited computational chemists, software engineers, AI experts, and various other computer adepts, all of whom put their monster minds together to create an automated reasoning system that could inspect vast amounts of chemical data quickly and point the finger at potential new drug compounds. Ed Regis, Wired, June 2000
even by the standards of Washington, he's an adept at political intrigue and power politics
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Though he’s most often associated with exhilarating crime sagas like Goodfellas and The Departed (not to mention his depictions of violence), Scorsese has repeatedly proven to be adept at practically every genre, from religious epics and cerebral thrillers to black comedies and domestic dramas. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 Cultivating a culture of continuous learning can help create a resilient network that is adept at navigating disruptions and capitalizing on emerging trends. Kate Vitasek, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Each was adept at recognizing and interpreting different kinds of scientific proxies. Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Key Takeaways Tax Expertise: EAs specialize in the U.S. tax code, are adept at handling individual and business tax returns, and navigate complex tax laws and regulations. Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 These remarkable arms, devoid of stinging tentacles, are adept at enveloping prey such as plankton and small fish in depths up to 22,000 feet. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Villeneuve is adept at staging grand-scale battles, but the movie’s best set piece is the climactic tooth-and-nail face-off between Paul and this grinning gargoyle. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024 Stone has been particularly adept at sidestepping this conundrum. Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 Veneta is adept at turning out buzzy it-bags that gain a cult following. Paula Lee, Glamour, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
Still though, the dietary differences alone aren’t sufficient to explain what makes snakes so evolutionary adept. Popular Science, 22 Feb. 2024 Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mission changes from ending the future of humanity to ensuring its survival, from killing the mother to protecting the son from an assassin adept at quicksilver. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2023 Due to its wing shape, Confuciusornis was likely a fast, yet rigid flyer and not a slow, agile one adept at maneuvering through the forest. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023 Colter’s reluctant guide is crusty Vietnam War vet Ike Fletcher (Brian Cox), a fly-fishing adept who’s gotten too old to venture to the stream alone. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 7 June 2023 Terence Nicholson, the former manager of the gallery and a martial-arts adept, subtracts the pop-culture element with a shadowy video of real kung fu moves. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023 Joking his way through age, career confusion, and surviving — artistry intact — seems to have inspired 80-year-old Scorsese, a rock-and-roll adept who nonetheless foundered shockingly with the mockumentary Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story. Armond White, National Review, 14 Oct. 2022 Andela is now accepting applications from senior developers across the continent adept in the most in-demand web frameworks and program languages. Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, 1 July 2020 Last season, Brown averaged 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists while proving adept at penetrating and getting to the free throw line. Bruce Pascoe, azcentral, 6 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adept.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

derivative of adept entry 2

Noun

borrowed from New Latin adeptus "one who has attained a high degree of proficiency (as in alchemy or hermetic philosophy)," going back to Latin, "having attained," past participle of adipīscī "to arrive at, attain," from ad- ad- + apīscī "to seize hold of, obtain," perhaps an inchoative derivative from the base of apere "to join" — more at apt entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1698, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1674, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adept was in 1674

Dictionary Entries Near adept

Cite this Entry

“Adept.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adept. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

adept

1 of 2 noun
ad·​ept ˈad-ˌept How to pronounce adept (audio)
: a highly skilled or well-trained individual : expert

adept

2 of 2 adjective
: very good at something
adeptly adverb
adeptness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on adept

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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