talent

play

noun tal·ent \ˈta-lənt\

Definition of talent

1a : a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitudeb : 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 weightb : 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

talented

play \-lən-təd\ adjective

talentless

play \-lənt-ləs\ adjective

See talent defined for English-language learners

See talent defined for kids

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 of talent from the Web

One reason may be that maths talent and female fertility flower in the same crucial years.

— The Economist, "Adding upObituary: Maryam Mirzakhani died on July 14th," 20 July 2017
Netflix, Warner Bros., Fox, HBO and Marvel Studios are among the companies hosting large-scale presentations with top-name talent.

— Bloomberg.com, "Comic-Con Blasts Into San Diego With Movies, Games, Shows," 19 July 2017
In getting to work in my first year as an actor among such high-quality talent like that, it's been quite an experience and privilege.

— matt wake, AL.com, "'Walking Dead' actor, Alabama native Hunter Watson talks upcoming rock album," 11 July 2017
If Americans of all races have the opportunity to achieve what their natural talents make possible, any remaining statistical gaps among races should become a non-issue.

— robert verbruggen, National Review, "Why I Write about Race and IQ," 5 July 2017
Primer's musical talent helped him to achieve one of his childhood goals of playing guitar on stage with his idol, the late Muddy Waters.

— jessi virtusio, Daily Southtown, "Bluesman John Primer returns to play Beverly Arts Center," 3 July 2017
As The Star did earlier this year, producers took specific interest in Talavera, one of the show’s oldest competitors, with a mind-blowing gymnastic talent to boot.

— aaron randle, kansascity, "KC will be all over this episode of ‘American Ninja Warrior’," 2 July 2017
Not these writers and performers, who are using the warmer months to take some risks, test themselves and expand their talents onstage.

— dave itzkoff, erik piepenburg, laura collins-hughes and sophie haigney, New York Times, "Summer Is the Time for Stretching," 28 June 2017
From nap pods and free snacks to in-office gyms and unlimited vacation time, many companies, particularly in the start-up and tech spaces, are increasingly using unique perks and benefits to recruit top talent.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Some Companies Are Now Offering Time Off When You Get a Puppy," 26 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

TALENT Defined for English Language Learners

talent

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noun

Definition of talent for English Language Learners

: 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

TALENT Defined for Kids

talent

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noun tal·ent \ˈta-lənt\

Definition of talent for Students

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

talented

\ˈta-lən-təd\ adjective

History for talent

Talent was the name of a unit of weight and money in the ancient world. The Christian Bible has a story about a man who gave three servants talents to keep for him while he was away. The first two servants invested their money and doubled it. The third hid the talent he had been given in the ground. When the master returned, he praised the first two servants. But he scolded the third, who could give back only what he had been given. The meaning of the story is that people should make good use of their natural gifts. From this story came a new meaning of talent: “special gift.”