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deft

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of deft

1 accomplished with trained ability
  • a photographer known for her deft use of lighting
Synonyms of deft

adroit, artful, delicate, dexterous (also dextrous), expert, masterful, masterly, practiced (also practised), skillful, virtuoso, workmanlike
Words Related to deft

facile, smooth

artistic, creative, fancy, ingenious, neat

adept, clever, cunning

able, adequate, capable, competent
Near Antonyms of deft

awkward, clumsy, crude, klutzy

ineffective, ineffectual

incompetent, inept
Antonyms of deft

amateur, amateurish, artless, rude, unprofessional, unskillful
2 skillful with the hands
  • The deft jeweler quickly attached the diamond to its mount on the gold band.
Synonyms of deft

clever, cunning, dexterous (also dextrous), handy
Words Related to deft

agile, flexible, graceful, limber, lissome (also lissom), lithe, lithesome, nimble, spry

coordinated

able, adept, capable, competent, expert, masterful, masterly, proficient, qualified, skilled, skillful, sure-handed

double-jointed, loose-jointed
Near Antonyms of deft

awkward, bungling, clumsy, fumbling, gauche, gawky, graceless, klutzy, rough-hewn, stiff, stilted, uncomfortable, uneasy, ungainly, ungraceful, wooden

uncoordinated

incapable, incompetent, inept, inexpert, maladroit
Antonyms of deft

butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, unhandy

Synonym Discussion of deft

dexterous, adroit, deft mean ready and skilled in physical movement. dexterous implies expertness with consequent facility and quickness in manipulation.
    • unrolled the sleeping bag with a dexterous toss
adroit implies dexterity but usually also stresses resourcefulness or artfulness or inventiveness.
    • the magician's adroit response to the failure of her prop won applause
deft emphasizes lightness, neatness, and sureness of touch or handling.
    • a surgeon's deft manipulation of the scalpel

Learn More about deft

  1. See words that rhyme with deft Dictionary: Definition of deft Spanish Central: Translation of deft Nglish: Translation of deft for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of deft for Arabic speakers

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