Word of the Day

: December 3, 2023

dexterous

adjective DEK-strus

What It Means

Dexterous is a formal adjective used to describe someone or something that has or shows great skill or cleverness.

// She was praised for her dexterous handling of the crisis.

// The movie is a dexterous retelling of a classic love story.

// As a shortstop, Alex is a dexterous fielder who is adept at catching any ground ball or line drive hit at him.

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dexterous in Context

"There can now be no doubt of Phillis Wheatley’s importance not only to African America but also to the country and culture as a whole. She was a learned, dexterous wielder of the written word in a taut political and racial moment." — Tiya Miles, The Atlantic, 22 Apr. 2023

Did You Know?

If you believe dexterous to be on the right side of etymological history, well, right on. Dexterous comes from the Latin word dexter, meaning "on the right side." Since most people are right-handed, and therefore do things more easily with their right hand, dexter developed the additional sense of "skillful." English speakers crafted dexterous from dexter and have been using the resulting adjective for anyone who is skillful—in either a physical or mental capacity—since at least the early 1600s. (The noun dexterity arrived a bit earlier, influenced both by Latin and the Middle French word dexterité). The adjective ambidextrous, which combines dexter with the Latin prefix ambi-, meaning "both," describes one who is able to use both hands in an equally skillful way. With so many handy words at its disposal, the English language itself is pretty dexterous, amirite?