as in skilled
having or showing exceptional knowledge, experience, or skill in a field of endeavor
he's an adept pitcher, and the team is lucky to have him
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in expert
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
even by the standards of Washington, he's an adept at political intrigue and power politics
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of adept
Joshua Hunt, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The Mexican cowboys became adept at everything from calving to branding to overseeing the kind of long-distance cattle drives that later became a staple of the western.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
In the Meiji era (1868–1912), Japanese leaders built a state adept at absorbing Western know-how—drawing especially on the United Kingdom—by creating a national translation bureau, importing thousands of foreign instructors, and standardizing a technical vocabulary.
—Carl Benedikt Frey, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adept
Adjective
Those few who did have something to say proved adept at politely saying as little as possible.
—Joshua Hunt, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The Mexican cowboys became adept at everything from calving to branding to overseeing the kind of long-distance cattle drives that later became a staple of the western.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
He was investigated by the SS on the orders of Heinrich Himmler but convinced his investigators, all adepts of Deutsche Physik, that he was engaged in worthwhile teaching and research.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
In the Meiji era (1868–1912), Japanese leaders built a state adept at absorbing Western know-how—drawing especially on the United Kingdom—by creating a national translation bureau, importing thousands of foreign instructors, and standardizing a technical vocabulary.
—Carl Benedikt Frey, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for adept
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adept
Adjective
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Bryant, on the other hand, represents a highly skilled Hollywood craft that is more than a century old and only recently getting its due.—
Rebecca Keegan,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
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DeBattiste said the Summit Rescue Group receives applications from skilled and experienced hikers, skiers, and climbers, but there’s one thing that matters more.—
Jayme Moye,
Outside,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Ying-yu Lin, a PLA expert at Tamkang University in Taipei, said the consistently rising defense budget shows that China’s military needs have not declined because of changes like economic slowdown.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Claude initially refused to cooperate with the hacking attempts and even denied requests to cover the hackers’ digital tracks, the experts who discovered the breach said.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The episode included a medical evacuation, the discovery of an immunity idol, skillful fire-making and numerous plot twists.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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Mercedes assures that its Ludwigsfelde employees have undergone extensive training on the processes to ensure the most skillful RV preparation.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Still, a university spokesperson stressed that the project may change during the master planning process.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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Capó-García moved to North Park from Northern California in 2013 when she was accepted into the creative writing master’s program at UC San Diego.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Nationally, the percentage of fourth graders considered proficient in reading sits just above 30%, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation's report card.—
MAKIYA SEMINERA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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Hayleigh Colombo Indiana lawmakers appear poised to approve legislation that would require commercial truck drivers to be English proficient and allow the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to crack down on drivers that lose legal status.—
Kaitlin Lange,
IndyStar,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Her grandfather, the Buddhist scholar and Tibet House co-founder Robert Thurman, began the night with praise for the artists and a sermon on the right of everyone to be happy.—
Hillel Italie,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
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Salerno suggests that several documents in the first few hundred years after Michelangelo's death correctly attribute the work to the artist but that in 1984 a scholar debunked it, erroneously in her view, and it has remained wrongly attributed ever since.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That is something Broadcom is incredibly experienced at, perhaps more than anyone else in the world aside from Nvidia.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
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But now older and more experienced, Adebayo isn’t interested in doing that anymore.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Beside me stood Laura, our trumpet virtuoso, a freshman who played with silky sophistication.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
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Just like any virtuoso, Greenberg needs a stage.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adept. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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