adroit

play

adjective \ə-ˈdrȯit\

Definition of adroit

: having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations an adroit leader adroit maneuvers

adroitly

adverb

adroitness

noun

See adroit defined for English-language learners

See adroit defined for kids

Examples of adroit in a Sentence

Rumor has always played a role in politics, but rarely have the backstage operatives been so adroit, and so cynical, in their use of vitriol. —Walter Shapiro, Time, 10 July 1989
Family medicine … is constructed around the unquantifiable idea that a doctor who treats your grandmother, your father, your niece, and your daughter will be more adroit in treating you. —John McPhee, Table of Contents, 1984
He was adroit with money and was blessed with the extraordinary Spanish gift of prolific, and even inchoate, invention. —V. S. Pritchett, “Goya … ,” 1975, in A Man of Letters, 1985
She is adroit at handling problems.
with an adroit flick of the wrist, flipped the omelet into the air and landed it squarely back in the pan

Recent Examples of adroit from the Web

The PRI has long been adroit at corralling votes via handouts, patronage posts, job-generating public works projects and other strategies.

— patrick j. mcdonnell, latimes.com, "Mexico's ruling party faces major challenges in voting on Sunday", 3 June 2017
During his two years at DCFS, Sheldon was adroit at tapping federal funds and brought tens of millions of new dollars into Illinois by clearing away bureaucratic tangles.

— david jackson, chicagotribune.com, "Head of DCFS resigns amid ethics probe, child deaths", 31 May 2017
But the dialogue is adroit, the characters engaging and multidimensional.

— misha berson, The Seattle Times, "Review: In ‘Grand Concourse,’ what happens when meaning well goes awry", 23 May 2017
Later, Zinelli introduced adroit changes of scale, in complex, graphic compositions that balance keen design instincts with the mysterious depths of great art.

— The New Yorker, "Carlo Zinelli", 18 May 2017
Mr. Evans has done it all—a paragon of adroit industry.

— edward kosner, WSJ, "The Wordsmith Shares His Craft", 17 May 2017
With a cacophony of New York yammer (eavesdropped in bars, offices, streets) threaded throughout, the story runs the danger of being a mere exercise, clever, technically adroit, but lacking soul.

— will blythe, New York Times, "In Joshua Ferris’s Stories, Couples Lead Lives of Quiet Desperation", 10 May 2017
Zenon's solos proved comparably adroit, and there was no mistaking his signature translucence of sound.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Regina Carter, collective celebrate jazz greats Ella and Miles in novel ways", 7 May 2017
Inflation, for openers, has nothing to do with adroit management skills, productivity gains or inventiveness.

— steve butler, The Mercury News, "Butler: Bulls, bears and one ‘Fearless Girl’", 27 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of adroit

French, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + droit right, droit

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First Known Use: 1652

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of adroit

clever, adroit, cunning, ingenious mean having or showing practical wit or skill in contriving. clever stresses physical or mental quickness, deftness, or great aptitude. a person clever with horses adroit often implies a skillful use of expedients to achieve one's purpose in spite of difficulties. an adroit negotiator cunning implies great skill in constructing or creating. a filmmaker cunning in his use of special effects ingenious suggests the power of inventing or discovering a new way of accomplishing something. an ingenious software engineer

dexterous, adroit, deft mean ready and skilled in physical movement. dexterous implies expertness with consequent facility and quickness in manipulation. unrolled the sleeping bag with a dexterous toss adroit implies dexterity but usually also stresses resourcefulness or artfulness or inventiveness. the magician's adroit response to the failure of her prop won applause deft emphasizes lightness, neatness, and sureness of touch or handling. a surgeon's deft manipulation of the scalpel