adroit

adjective \ ə-ˈdrȯit \

Updated on: 22 May 2018

Definition of adroit

: having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations

an adroit leader

adroit maneuvers

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adroitly

adverb

—

adroitness

noun

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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
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
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
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

Her strategy in dealing with such people was disarmingly adroit.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "Mary Sansone, a Grass-Roots Political Godmother, Dies at 101," 15 May 2018
Cellos were especially adroit in some tricky passage-work in the middle section.

— zachary lewis, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Orchestra's 'Prometheus Project' gets off to fiery start: review," 11 May 2018
His most adroit feat came after the failed Beer Hall Putsch, in 1923, which should have ended his political career.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "How American Racism Influenced Hitler," 23 Apr. 2018
Many pieces were passed through multiple sets of adroit hands in various parts of the world before reaching completion.

— lilah ramzi, Vogue, "Jonathan Anderson Traveled the Globe to Create Loewe’s New Blankets," 17 Apr. 2018
Parsons, who also served as chairman of CitiGroup, has a reputation for being an adroit diplomat and consensus builder.

— meg james, latimes.com, "CBS' Leslie Moonves received $69 million in compensation last year; Richard Parsons nominated to serve on board," 6 Apr. 2018
The bureau has long had a workaday, just-the-facts-please image – albeit an image polished by adroit internal PR.

— peter grier, The Christian Science Monitor, "The perennial presidential urge to bring FBI 'under control'," 29 Mar. 2018
GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s new-ish CEO is proving to be an adroit negotiator.

— chris hughes, Philly.com, "Glaxo's purchase of Novartis consumer drugs shows Emma Walmsley's dealmaking skills," 27 Mar. 2018
Part of his task is to make Senga and the audience fall for him, and Scott is impressively adroit in making that emotional connection.

— christine dolen, miamiherald, "‘Dancing Lessons’ involves one dance session, and a valuable life lesson | Miami Herald," 12 Mar. 2018

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

borrowed from French, going back to Old French, "handsome, elegant, skilled (in combat)," from a-, prefix, perhaps with intensive value (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + droit "straight, direct, true, regular," going back to Latin directus "straight, direct" — more at ¹dress

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1652

in the meaning defined above

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adroit Synonyms

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.