skillful

adjective

skill·​ful ˈskil-fəl 

1

: possessed of or displaying skill : expert

a skillful chef

2

: accomplished with skill

a skillful treatment

skillfully

ˈskil-fə-lē 

adverb

skillfulness noun

Synonyms

• adroit
• artful
• bravura
• deft
• delicate
• dexterous
• dextrous
• expert
• masterful
• masterly
• practiced
• practised
• virtuoso
• workmanlike

Choose the Right Synonym for skillful

proficient, adept, skilled, skillful, expert mean having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession.

proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

Examples of skillful in a Sentence

He is skillful at diplomacy.

an artist skillful in the use of color

the skillful manner in which the doctor and nurses treated the patient

These issues require skillful handling.

Recent Examples on the Web

That compromise seemed either an example of the military’s skillful navigation of a polarizing topic—the naming of military posts and ships—or trolling. —Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2025

Love, the film suggests, has always been a strategic, material affair, a matter of skillful hunting and gathering. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

Here, Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell’s zoo menagerie is perhaps even more skillful from a design perspective. —Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 5 June 2025

Several would require the skillful balancing of adverse political interests, including labor unions, real estate companies and pro-tenant groups. —Mihir Zaveri, New York Times, 1 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for skillful

• skilful
• wilful
• willful
• unskillful

Kids Definition

skillful

adjective

skill·​ful ˈskil-fəl 

1

: having or showing skill

2

: accomplished with skill

a skillful defense

skillfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

skillfulness noun