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adept

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word adept distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of adept are expert, proficient, skilled, and skillful. While all these words mean "having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession," adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

When is it sensible to use expert instead of adept?

While in some cases nearly identical to adept, expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

When is proficient a more appropriate choice than adept?

In some situations, the words proficient and adept are roughly equivalent. However, proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

In what contexts can skilled take the place of adept?

The words skilled and adept can be used in similar contexts, but skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

When might skillful be a better fit than adept?

The meanings of skillful and adept largely overlap; however, skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adept
Adjective
The film belongs lock, stock and barrel to Del Toro, playing this Onassis-style billionaire who proves again to be so adept to the rhythms of Anderson’s dialogue and delivers flawlessly here. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 18 May 2025 But many recipes can be complicated for younger children or others who might not be so adept with cooking. Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 7 May 2025
Noun
Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans. Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024 Naomi Goggin Switch to island time—and expect transportation snafus Even with two planners, and a bride adept at project management, there was one logistical hurdle that was tough to cross: local transportation. Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for adept
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adept
Adjective
  • Deploying this type of technology at scale could not only help identify at-risk patients for proactive monitoring but also address the global need for medical professionals, with the U.S. alone requiring 122,000 skilled physicians by 2032.
    Max Votek, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
  • The presence of someone skilled, experienced and committed to public service could strengthen the agency, at a time when the federal work force faces unprecedented strain.
    Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • Only 20 experts out of the roughly 525 who did the work at USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance and its Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Relief are being hired by PRM, the source said.
    Jonathan Landay, USA Today, 23 May 2025
  • The deals, and new partnerships, could reshape the global AI landscape in myriad ways, according to officials and experts.
    Amy Gunia, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • As the size and complexity of solar assets increased, the provision of proficient O&M and asset management services became imperative for ensuring optimal performance.
    Joern Hackbarth, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
  • First, is the acknowledgment by the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education (the Kirwan Commission) that, per the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) 2021 assessment, only 35% of Grade 3-8 students are proficient in English, just 15% in math.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Get The Recipe 02 of 10 Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Some of Grandma’s recipes take a practiced hand in the kitchen to master, but old-school dump cake recipes are literally foolproof.
    Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 19 May 2025
  • Every art lover must visit The Louvre at least once in their lifetime not just to see Leonardo’s incredible Mona Lisa and the famous Venus de Milo but for the quieter galleries too in the Richelieu wing with works by masters like Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer.
    Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • These additional components underscore the importance of music, movement, libations, skillful presentation, and audience participation to masquerade more broadly.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
  • Who lives and who dies depends on a slew of variable factors: Where they are tried, how skillful their attorneys are, the whims of prosecutors, quirks in the law, the dispositions of judges and jurors, and what victims want.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Immigration authorities released visiting Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri on Wednesday following a federal judge’s ruling.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025
  • Wednesday's court hearing was attended by dozens of people, including the scholar's family members, friends and colleagues at Georgetown and advocates.
    Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • Again, this isn't a conventional model rocket so experienced rocketeers might scoff at it.
    Ian Stokes, Space.com, 23 May 2025
  • Funds like the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF attracted massive inflows, yet many investors who entered late experienced disappointing returns once valuations normalized.
    Gianluca Sidoti, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • Become Good At Something In Groundhog Day, Connors appears to relive the same day hundreds of times over; however, throughout the course of the film, Connors learns to speak French and becomes an expert at ice sculpting and a virtuoso pianist.
    Michael Hicks, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
  • During a pivotal moment of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club on Broadway, country virtuoso Orville Peck makes a bold choice.
    Stephen Daw, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adept. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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