skill

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun skill contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of skill are artifice, art, craft, and cunning. While all these words mean "the faculty of executing well what one has devised," skill stresses technical knowledge and proficiency.

the skill of a glassblower

When could art be used to replace skill?

While in some cases nearly identical to skill, art implies a personal, unanalyzable creative power.

the art of choosing the right word

In what contexts can artifice take the place of skill?

While the synonyms artifice and skill are close in meaning, artifice suggests technical skill especially in imitating things in nature.

believed realism in film could be achieved only by artifice

When might craft be a better fit than skill?

The words craft and skill can be used in similar contexts, but craft may imply expertness in workmanship.

the craft of a master goldsmith

When is cunning a more appropriate choice than skill?

The synonyms cunning and skill are sometimes interchangeable, but cunning suggests ingenuity and subtlety in devising, inventing, or executing.

a mystery plotted with great cunning

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of skill As the country sinks in the OECD’s PISA rankings (international tests of 15-year-olds’ skills), voters blame the youth, smart-phones, Islam, or a political class wasting public money. Renaud Foucart, Time, 28 Sep. 2025 Begin redesigning your organization now around human skills and phase out traditional hierarchies. Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025 In the first of two classes with fake guns that don’t fire real bullets, Tamra impresses Jenn and Emily with her target-shooting skills. Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025 Showing Willa as a capable fighter was vital for Anderson, who had Infiniti show off her skills during in-person auditions. Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for skill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skill
Noun
  • Aman holds expertise in politics, travel, and tech news, especially in AI, advanced algorithms, and blockchain, with a strong curiosity about all things that fall under science and tech.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Peng denies such ties, and says Pony’s Chinese expertise may give it advantages in the US — despite the hostile political climate.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.
    John Seabrook, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, The Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The experience later prompted him to go to therapy.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The spiritual experience here, these days, happens when Joyce clocks in.
    Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • About 78% failed to reach proficiency in math for their grade on the 2024-25 exam.
    Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Growth in math proficiency was similar, said Horne.
    Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Biennale, staged in these same spaces, carried forward that mercantile energy -- but with art as its new currency.
    Dada Jovanovic, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The five-bedroom, eight-bath property in the Pacific Palisades was originally built for Sam Simon, a co-creator of The Simpsons and an art and architecture collector.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Her voice—soulful, unshaken, and still capable of wrapping you in both tenderness and fire—wove through classics and new arrangements, honoring her artistry while making space for fresh interpretations.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 29 Sep. 2025
  • This feels like a debut that makes a powerful, defining statement about Colins’s artistry and vision.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In all of these places, the broad availability of talent—whether as founders, knowledge workers, or highly skilled blue-collar workers—is viewed as one core element of the corporate ecosystem’s success.
    Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In conversation, Blunt’s admiration for Johnson is clear, and so is her interest in making sure other people recognize his talents and capabilities.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Skill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skill. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on skill

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