: having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations
an adroit leader
adroit maneuvers
adroitly
adverb
adroitness
noun
Did you know?
Adroit goes back to an Old French word meaning "handsome or elegant" as well as "skilled in combat." The adjective is still used to imply skillfulness, but usually not of the physical kind. Adroit most often describes cleverness that achieves one's purpose in spite of difficulties.
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
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 on the Web
SpaceX is the implied template: Musk will advocate for privatizing the government, outsourcing the affairs of state to nimble entrepreneurs and adroit technologists.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2024
Naturally, Moore is formidable, acing an English accent and exhibiting an adroit sense of comic timing.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
The adroit reshufflings of narrative and perspective in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Poor Things’?
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
The fashion house is known for its adroit use of off-kilter patterns, which, in the skilled hands of Risso, convey a cerebral, never-twee aesthetic that is no less reflected in this new line.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for adroit
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Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2024
Naturally, Moore is formidable, acing an English accent and exhibiting an adroit sense of comic timing.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
The adroit reshufflings of narrative and perspective in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Poor Things’?
—Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
The fashion house is known for its adroit use of off-kilter patterns, which, in the skilled hands of Risso, convey a cerebral, never-twee aesthetic that is no less reflected in this new line.
—Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for adroit
Cite this Entry
“Adroit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adroit. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adroit
adjective
: having or showing great skill or cleverness
an adroit leader
the candidate's adroit use of social media
adroitly
adverb
adroitness
noun
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