dexterity

noun

dex·​ter·​i·​ty dek-ˈster-ə-tē How to pronounce dexterity (audio)
-ˈste-rə-
plural dexterities
1
: readiness and grace in physical activity
especially : skill and ease in using the hands
manual dexterity
2
: mental skill or quickness : adroitness

Examples of dexterity in a Sentence

Russ Cellan, Ferguson's coach at Freeport (New York) High, and Ron Prince, his former offensive line coach at Virginia, both attribute Ferguson's dexterity and footwork to his extensive martial arts training … Nunyo Demasio, Sports Illustrated, 10 Apr. 2006
The Carcanet volume also offers its readers the advantage of seeing the German originals alongside the English, enabling them to perceive at a glance how much sympathy and linguistic dexterity Elliot has brought to the difficult but rewarding task of introducing a new generation of English readers to Heine's tragic but wonderfully vigorous and vivid late poetry. S. S. Prawer, Times Literary Supplement, 28 Sept. - 4 Oct. 1990
But the mayor showed considerable political dexterity in the days following the fire, taking care to distance himself from on-site decisions while accepting full responsibility for the bombing itself. He made himself available to reporters, met with people from the fire-ravaged neighborhood, and was gracious enough not to blame subordinates. Amy Wilentz, Time, 27 May 1985
The job requires manual dexterity. He has the dexterity needed to deal cards quickly. The amazing dexterity of the acrobat. He's a teacher known for his imagination and verbal dexterity.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Four were from the Bundesliga but none had an answer for Arminia’s waspish pressing, their lightning-quick counter attacks, and their coaching staff’s exhaustive preparation and tactical dexterity. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 22 May 2025 The structure of their hands and wrists is more common with modern human dexterity than that of chimpanzees and gorillas. Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2025 Improvements have also been made to eye and head tracking capabilities, which allow users with dexterity and speech problems to navigate on-screen items using eye movement and gaze. Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025 What are the advances of Gemini Robotics? Carolina Parada, head of robotics at Google DeepMind, said in the briefing that the new models improve over the company’s prior robots in three dimensions: generalization, adaptability, and dexterity. Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dexterity

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French dexterité, from Latin dexteritat-, dexteritas, from dexter — see dexterous

First Known Use

1518, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of dexterity was in 1518

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dexterity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dexterity. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

dexterity

noun
dex·​ter·​i·​ty dek-ˈster-ət-ē How to pronounce dexterity (audio)
plural dexterities
1
: mental skill or quickness
2
: ease and grace in physical activity
especially : skill and ease in using the hands

Medical Definition

dexterity

noun
dex·​ter·​i·​ty dek-ˈster-ət-ē How to pronounce dexterity (audio)
plural dexterities
1
: readiness and grace in physical activity
especially : skill and ease in using the hands
2
: mental skill or quickness

More from Merriam-Webster on dexterity

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