1
as in virtuoso
accomplished with trained ability
a luthier whose deft craftsmanship is prized by violinists the world over
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dextrous
skillful with the hands
the deft jeweler quickly attached the diamond to its mount on the gold band
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deft
The fish-out-of-water comedy costarred Sam Shepard and reminded audiences of Keaton’s deft skills at leading a movie that mixed the funny with the dramatic and thought-provoking.
—
Dan Heching, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Despite the Blue Jays adding four runs to their 2-1 lead in the 3rd, the entertainer’s deft touch seemingly rubbed off on the home team, which was facing elimination.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Vogt is all but certain to win again, despite Hinch’s deft handling of the Tigers’ tricky platoons across the board.
—Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Here, her deft manipulation of form and language captures how alien—even, perhaps, how interesting—ordinary life with a chronic illness, in some cases, can be.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deft
Dan Heching, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Despite the Blue Jays adding four runs to their 2-1 lead in the 3rd, the entertainer’s deft touch seemingly rubbed off on the home team, which was facing elimination.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Vogt is all but certain to win again, despite Hinch’s deft handling of the Tigers’ tricky platoons across the board.
—Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Here, her deft manipulation of form and language captures how alien—even, perhaps, how interesting—ordinary life with a chronic illness, in some cases, can be.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deft
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deft
Adjective
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Kirk Baxter’s arrhythmic cutting is designed around quicksilver shifts that, along with Barry Ackroyd’s restlessly attentive, mostly handheld camerawork, allow Bigelow to redirect our attention with virtuoso command.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The skillful craftsmanship of the artists is amazing, and the story is also great.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
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Sarandos, who in shaping the era’s most successful Big Tech entrant to Hollywood has always been a skillful communicator, gave a telling answer.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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After inadvertently amassing a network of specialized experts, the startup has pivoted to hiring highly skilled professionals to train AI models.—
Jaures Yip,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
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Greenlight Alberta, which its creators say is the first of its kind in Canada, will see local professionals trained in key production roles, as an answer to the growing demand for skilled crew across the country.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Building off a masterful National League Championship Series performance, Yamamoto became the first pitcher to log consecutive postseason complete games since Arizona Diamondbacks ace Curt Schilling in 2001, and the first Dodger to do it since Orel Hershiser in 1988.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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Still, Tagovailoa put on a masterful performance against the Falcons, completing 77% of his passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Fueled by vengeance and cunning ambition, Ashur rises from betrayal and bloodshed to seize power, gouging out a place for the House of Ashur in a new arena full of violence, desire, and twisted loyalty.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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The elaborate scheme, masterminded by members of four Mafia families in collusion with celebrity athletes, ensnared unsuspecting victims, bleeding them of over $7 million through cunning deception, prosecutors said in the indictment.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Alastin’s Restorative Neck Complex is a lightweight cream made specifically for the delicate skin below the chin.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
30 Oct. 2025
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Practical considerations In a delicate political and cultural landscape, brands must walk a fine line in discussing the benefits of clean fashion without fueling panic and misinformation.—
Sophie Benson,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Named Aero Hand Open, the TetherIA’s open-source, underactuated robotic hand is meant to solve the robotic industry’s hardest problem, dexterous manipulation.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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Its seven-degree-of-freedom robotic arm is paired with dexterous hands that can sense pressure changes and perform delicate movements.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.—
NPR,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
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For full daily and monthly horoscopes as well as expert readings, see our full Horoscopes experience.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deft. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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