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talent

noun
tal·​ent | \ ˈta-lənt How to pronounce talent (audio) \

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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Other Words from talent

talented \ ˈta-​lən-​təd How to pronounce talented (audio) \ adjective
talentless \ ˈta-​lənt-​ləs How to pronounce talentless (audio) \ adjective

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Gaga confirmed her relationship with the C.A.A. talent agent in October 2017 by posting a picture of the two to her Instagram stories. — Vogue, "Lady Gaga Has Reportedly Split from Her Fiancé, Christian Carino," 19 Feb. 2019 Further Reading Risky Thailand cave rescue relied on talent, luck—and on sticking to the rules But several days later, a team of experienced divers and cave explorers were able to rescue all of the children without Musk's help. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Musk lawyers move to dismiss cave explorer lawsuit over “pedo guy” tweets," 27 Dec. 2018 Lady Gaga and her boyfriend of almost two years, talent agent Christian Carino, are officially engaged. — Andrea Park, Glamour, "Lady Gaga Just Confirmed She's Engaged to Christian Carino," 16 Oct. 2018 Reese, 42, and Jim, 48, first met through a work connection: Jim is a talent agent at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where Reese is a client. — Emma Dibdin, Country Living, "The Real Story Behind Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth's Whirlwind Romance," 13 Sep. 2018 It's now been more than three years since nearly a dozen talent agents left Creative Artists Agency for United Talent Agency. — Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "CAA, UTA Headed to Second Arbitration Over "Lawless Midnight Raid"," 11 July 2018 That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of hard work, or talent, in those tales. — Jen Doll, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Does It Feel Like Everyone Has More Money Than You?," 12 Feb. 2019 There’s talent, and then there’s Natalie Portman and Audrey Hepburn. — Danny Murphy, Marie Claire, "Recasted: Who Would Star in a Charade Reboot?," 11 Feb. 2019 By hiring a celebrated fashion talent, the brand hoped for a halo effect. — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "The Calvin Klein brand hired big-name fashion designer Raf Simons to build relevancy. Now he’s out.," 27 Dec. 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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First Known Use of talent

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

History and Etymology for talent

Middle English, from Old English talente, from Latin talenta, plural of talentum unit of weight or money, from Greek talanton pan of a scale, weight; akin to Greek tlēnai to bear; in senses 3–5, from the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30 — more at tolerate

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Statistics for talent

Last Updated

11 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for talent

The first known use of talent was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for talent

talent

noun
How to pronounce talent (audio)

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
British slang : people who are sexually attractive

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

talent

noun
tal·​ent | \ ˈta-lənt How to pronounce talent (audio) \

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

Other Words from talent

talented \ ˈta-​lən-​təd \ adjective

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More from Merriam-Webster on talent

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with talent

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for talent

Spanish Central: Translation of talent

Nglish: Translation of talent for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of talent for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about talent

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