Definition of adroit
: having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations an adroit leader adroit maneuvers
adroitly
adverbadroitness
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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
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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.
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
Synonym Discussion of adroit
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
ADROIT Defined for English Language Learners
ADROIT Defined for Kids
adroit
playDefinition of adroit for Students
: having or showing great skill or cleverness an adroit leader
adroitly
adverbLearn More about adroit
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See words that rhyme with adroit Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adroit Spanish Central: Translation of adroit Nglish: Translation of adroit for Spanish speakers
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