: characterized by facility and skill
the photographer's deft use of lighting
the deft fingers of the trumpeter
deftly adverb
deftness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
But an outspoken liberal (Stanley Tucci) has trouble winning votes, and the resulting action involves deft coalition-building and the papal equivalent of October surprises. The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024 Their presence here reinforces what is already obvious: that Duccio displayed a deft hand at combining and recombining motifs and styles from others’ art, then putting his own spin on them. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 Oct. 2024 Elkin is deft but clear in reminding readers that there’s a distinction between badness and evil, or badness and hate. Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024 Remembering Brownsville-native Kris Kristofferson Remembering Brownsville-native Kris Kristofferson 01:14 Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died. CBS News, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deft 

Word History

Etymology

perhaps continuing Middle English daffte, daft, defte "well-mannered, gentle, dull, foolish" — more at daft

Note: Rather than being derived directly from Middle English, Modern English deft may go back to an unattested Old English *gedefte (with umlaut), with a meaning "fit, ready" developing to "apt, skilfull"; the sense shift is otherwise difficult to account for, though the lack of any certain attestation of deft in the sense "skillful" before the later 16th century makes this scenario hypothetical.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of deft was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near deft

Cite this Entry

“Deft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deft. Accessed 13 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

deft

adjective
: quick and skillful in action
knitting with deft fingers
deftly adverb
deftness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on deft

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