talent

noun

tal·ent | \ˈta-lənt

Definition of talent

1a : a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude

b : general intelligence or mental power : ability

2 : the natural endowments of a person

3 : a person of talent or a group of persons of talent in a field or activity

4a : any of several ancient units of weight

b : a unit of value equal to the value of a talent of gold or silver

5 archaic : a characteristic feature, aptitude, or disposition of a person or animal

Other Words from talent Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about talent

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Choose the Right Synonym for talent

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something. gift often implies special favor by God or nature. the gift of singing beautifully faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function. a faculty for remembering names aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it. a mechanical aptitude bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability. a family with an artistic bent talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed. has enough talent to succeed genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability. has no great genius for poetry knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance. the knack of getting along

Examples of talent in a Sentence

a singer with an enormous amount of talent I have no musical talent. Her artistic talent has been obvious ever since she was a child. They sang a duet in the talent show . She has a job that makes the most of her talents. His experience, skills, and talents make him perfectly suited for the job. There are many good players on the team, but she's a special talent. The company has hired some expensive legal talent for the trial. The team has recruited some of the best talent around. The company is doing a talent search to find the right person for the job.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fox News quickly released a statement saying that the company does not condone talent appearing at campaign events, and Hannity claimed the entire fiasco had been a surprise. — Carlos Maza, Vox, "Fox News keeps breaking its own rules," 27 Nov. 2018 The Flyers have about $7 million in salary cap space, and enough talent that should entice some heavy hitters for the job. — Dan Gelston, The Seattle Times, "Flyers eye new approach in GM, unlike ‘unyielding’ Hextall," 27 Nov. 2018 Its planned headquarters in New York City will give it a new, stronger tie to the traditional center of advertising, one that could lead to Amazon hiring away talent. — Laura Stevens, WSJ, "Amazon, With Little Fanfare, Emerges as an Advertising Giant," 27 Nov. 2018 Faraday Future garnered a ton of attention and soaked up a lot of talent and funding, only to find itself on the brink of bankruptcy for the second year in a row. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "The all-electric Rivian R1T is a dream truck for adventurers," 26 Nov. 2018 The experimental Cemeti Art House, which has graphic pieces from leading pop artist Popok Tri Wahyudi, and Ace House Collective both host frequent multimedia art and performances by Indonesian and foreign talent. — Marianna Cerini, Condé Nast Traveler, "Yogyakarta Is the Cultural Hub to Hit on Your Next Trip to Southeast Asia," 16 Nov. 2018 For the past year, Apple has focused on gleaning talent for its original content offerings. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Apple inks deal with Ex Machina-maker A24 studio to create original films," 15 Nov. 2018 But what many may not realize is that the star's talents don't end there: Juan also has some impressive vocals. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'Dancing With the Stars' Juan Pablo Di Pace Has a Talent That No One Ever Talks About," 15 Oct. 2018 In place since 2014, the software was built to find the top talent by digging through mountains of applications. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Amazon Fired Its Resume-Reading AI for Sexism," 10 Oct. 2018

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

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More Definitions for talent

talent

noun

English Language Learners Definition of talent

: a special ability that allows someone to do something well

: a person or group of people with a special ability to do something well : a talented person or group

: people who are sexually attractive

See the full definition for talent in the English Language Learners Dictionary

talent

noun

tal·ent | \ˈta-lənt

Kids Definition of talent

1 : unusual natural ability … Toby had a special talent for getting people off the hook by making the teacher laugh.— Zilpha Keatley Snyder, The Egypt Game

2 : a special often creative or artistic ability

3 : a person or group of people having special ability