adroit

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adjective \ ə-ˈdrȯit \

Definition of adroit

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

an adroit leader

adroit maneuvers

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adroitly

adverb

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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
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

The performers’ adroit use of space directly transfers to a series of sketches utilizing words, sounds, movement, and pace to tell stories both goofy and rousing.

— Chicago Reader, "Duck and Cover Classroom, Top-Notch Tuesdays, and six more new stage shows," 16 Aug. 2017
But McConnell’s stewardship of the health care issue has proved less adroit.

— Washington Post, "Analysis: Trump will take health care credit or cast blame," 14 July 2017
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

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1652

See Words from the same year

adroit Synonyms

Synonyms

skillful, artful, bravura, deft, delicate, dexterous (also dextrous), expert, masterful, masterly, practiced (also practised), virtuoso, workmanlike

Antonyms

amateur, amateurish, artless, rude, unprofessional, unskillful

Related Words

facile, smooth; artistic, creative, fancy, ingenious, neat; adept, clever, cunning; able, adequate, capable, competent

Near Antonyms

awkward, clumsy, crude, klutzy; ineffective, ineffectual; incompetent, inept

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.