adept

adjective

\ ə-ˈdept also ˈa-ˌdept

Definition of adept

(Entry 1 of 2)

: thoroughly proficient : expert an adept negotiator He's adept at fixing computers.

adept

noun

ad·ept | \ ˈa-ˌdept

, ə-ˈdept, a-ˈ\

Definition of adept (Entry 2 of 2)

: a highly skilled or well-trained individual : expert an adept at chess

Other Words from adept Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about adept

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Other Words from adept

Adjective

adeptly \ ə-ˈdep-(t)lē

, a- \ adverb

She dealt with the changes adeptly.

adeptness \ -ˈdep(t)-nəs

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for adept

Adjective

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

Through both projects Foster has proven to be a thoughtful lyricist, with a smooth flow and an adept ear for composition. — Ben Baskin, SI.com, "The Best Athlete-Turned-Rapper? It’s Arian Foster. (Just Ask Him)," 26 June 2019 There are adept investors who have started devising ways to skirt a possible ban. — Nupur Anand, Quartz India, "What are the options for an Indian investor if bitcoin is completely banned?," 21 June 2019 It is credited with helping create technically adept, creative players due to the small surfaces that it is played in. — SI.com, "Gabriel Martinelli: 4 Things to Know About the Impending Arsenal Signing," 18 June 2019 If that path is taken away, James is equally adept at finding the open man behind the arc. — Neil Greenberg, The Denver Post, "After adding Anthony Davis, the Lakers are NBA title favorites. They shouldn’t be.," 17 June 2019 If that path is taken away, James is equally adept at finding the open man behind the arc. — nola.com, "Lakers favored to win NBA title with Anthony Davis? Not so fast ...," 17 June 2019 Since then, Goldstein, Zhang and others have become increasingly adept at coaxing bacteria into strange and wondrous acts. — Quanta Magazine, "Swirling Bacteria Linked to the Physics of Phase Transitions," 16 June 2019 Elite colleges have become adept at insulating the legacy edge from criticism by linking it to preferences for more sympathetic groups, from slave descendants to students who are the first generation in their families to go to college. — Daniel Golden, Town & Country, "How Wealthy Families Manipulate Admissions at Elite Universities," 21 Nov. 2016 With its adept steering, short turning radius, maneuverability, and spirited feel, the CX-9 has a prideful persona. — James Raia, Houston Chronicle, "Mazda CX-9: Family hauler is versatile, well-equipped, has plenty of overall appeal," 8 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Martin has even mentioned having the 6-foot-11 Porter, with his adept passing skills, bring the ball upcourt to initiate offense. — Aaron Reiss, kansascity, "Mizzou's Porter will help make SEC basketball even more competitive than last season," 28 June 2018 The Volvo is a reasonably able cargo-toter, but the interior dimensions are a little less adept at carrying people. — Ben Stewart, Popular Mechanics, "Cargo Showdown: Which Crossover SUV Is Best for Hauling Your Stuff?," 4 Aug. 2018 The latest edition kicked off Tuesday in Mountain View, Calif., where the Internet giant showed off how its Assistant, available on phones and its smart speaker Google Home line, was getting more adept at mimicking human conversation. — Jefferson Graham, ajc, "Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant were asked 150 questions. Here's who got the most right," 9 May 2018 Some of that is a savvy front office, but that has to go hand-in-hand with a coaching staff adept at player development. — Rick Bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Hornets got James Borrego from Spurs. At his best, he brings 4 great habits with him. | Charlotte Observer," 8 May 2018 Abdul-Rauf was one of the premier guards in the NBA during the 1990s with the Denver Nuggets because of his quick release combined with street-ball handles and adept shot making ability. — Clevis Murray, azcentral, "Phoenix Suns draft prospect workout headlined by Duke point guard Trevon Duval," 14 June 2018 The attacking spark behind Manchester City's record-setting season had 12 goals, 20 assists in all competitions in 2017-18 and is as adept at creating for others as anyone on the planet. — Avi Creditor, SI.com, "Meet the Ultimate World Cup 23: The Best Talent in Russia," 11 June 2018 Jonathan Halperin, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Policing future drug industry payments received by FDA advisory committee members would be challenging even for an agency adept at limiting conflicts of interest. — Charles Piller, Science | AAAS, "Hidden conflicts? Pharma payments to FDA advisers after drug approvals spark ethical concerns," 5 July 2018 Ross’ admirers include Craig Newmark, founder and namesake of Craigslist, an entrepreneur adept at using technology to shake up the status quo. — Pamela Wood, baltimoresun.com, "Democrat Alec Ross, tech expert and author, says as Maryland governor he'll focus on 'what's next'," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adept.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for adept

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