deft

play

adjective \ˈdeft\

Definition of deft

: characterized by facility and skill the photographer's deft use of lighting the deft fingers of the trumpeter

deftly

adverb

deftness

play \ˈdef(t)-nəs\ noun

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Examples of deft in a Sentence

The photographer is known for her deft use of lighting.
a luthier whose deft craftsmanship is prized by violinists the world over

Recent Examples of deft from the Web

The forage-heavy ethos remains strong at this mellow Studio City street corner, where local produce is highlighted with a deft touch.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
Priceline.com (pcln, -0.28%) has turned itself into a $95 billion Internet travel behemoth in large part thanks to deft dealmaking.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "Priceline CEO Says People Trump Tech in Dealmaking," 17 July 2017
Known for his deft use of color, Hart’s lineup included a mint suit over a riotous banana-print shirt, a pink guayabera worn with cantaloupe trousers, and an espresso-hued tuxedo that would be a good bet for the upcoming Emmy Awards red carpet.

— vincent boucher, The Cut, "What We Saw at the New York’s Menswear Shows This Week," 14 July 2017
At 6 feet 5 and 221 pounds, possesses the physical tools, skating ability and deft scoring ability to wreak havoc offensively.

— marlowe alter, Detroit Free Press, "#BestInTheD: Detroit's top-20 pro athletes right now, Nos. 20-11," 12 July 2017
The set made frequent deft, winking insider nods to U2’s history.

— matt diehl, Billboard, "Jack Garratt Shines, U2 Rocks & Adam Clayton Collects Stevie Ray Vaughn Award at Musicares Gala," 27 June 2017
The playoff occurred after Berger had saved par at 18, the final hole of regulation, with a deft up-and-down from the back right bunker.

— tom yantz, courant.com, "Spieth Puts On A Show For Crowd On Final Hole," 25 June 2017
SVG was brutally honest in assessing his first-round draft pick; Kennard's a deft shooter who didn't show much defensively Detroit Pistons president Stan Van Gundy was gushing over Luke Kennard’s offensive game.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Pistons draft pick Luke Kennard must get 'a lot better' on defense," 23 June 2017
Featured on the booming 14-track LP are, among others, the vulnerable and lilting vocals of singer Scarlet Parke, the humbling strings of composer Andrew Joslyn and the deft, upright bass playing of Evan Flory-Barnes.

— jake uitti, The Seattle Times, "Seattle’s Ayron Jones: We need rock ’n’ roll more than ever," 22 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of deft

Middle English defte gentle — more at daft

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of deft

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