variants
also dextrous
1
as in skilled
skillful with the hands
the dexterous watchmaker was able to repair the antique watch's delicate gears and parts
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in virtuoso
accomplished with trained ability
dexterous handling of a potentially embarrassing situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dexterous
To answer these questions and build beyond human limitations, the team at EPFL designed and produced a highly dexterous, modular robotic hand.
—
New Atlas, 2 Feb. 2026
After a vocal break, the jam ends with Bonamassa playing his own lyrical solo, summarizing everything that came before it with deft, dexterous blues playing.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
In addition to their impressive brains, raccoons’ dexterous hands play a key role in their cognitively creative escapades.
—Kelly Lambert, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
Full-scale humanoid robots demonstrated balance, dexterous manipulation, and coordinated movement intended for logistics, manufacturing, and service roles.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dexterous
New Atlas, 2 Feb. 2026
After a vocal break, the jam ends with Bonamassa playing his own lyrical solo, summarizing everything that came before it with deft, dexterous blues playing.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
In addition to their impressive brains, raccoons’ dexterous hands play a key role in their cognitively creative escapades.
—Kelly Lambert, Fortune, 16 Jan. 2026
Full-scale humanoid robots demonstrated balance, dexterous manipulation, and coordinated movement intended for logistics, manufacturing, and service roles.
—Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dexterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dexterous
Adjective
-
Although Cleopatra and Nefertiti are more well-known, Hatshepsut stands out as one of the most skilled and successful female rulers of the ancient world.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
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Manufacturers and employers across diverse industries throughout our state rely on these institutions to educate engineers, health care professionals, teachers, data scientists and other skilled workers emerging from this talent pipeline.—
Mark Denzler,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The French Connection is now mostly remembered for its virtuoso chase scene and Gene Hackman’s charm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Slafkovský had two goals and an assist in a virtuoso performance, and Iowa Wild goaltender Samuel Hlavaj was sensational, stopping 39 of 40 shots, including an 18-save first period that gave his team belief that the improbable was possible.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The invader is a skillful art restorer, Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who’s been hired by Julian’s greedy children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), to work, or pose, as their father’s new assistant.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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Literary style and themes Critics have praised French’s novels for their vivid settings, psychologically nuanced characters, and skillful dialogue.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The paramedic suddenly had to balance the urgency of a wartime emergency with the delicate, critical first steps of childbirth.—
Eric Mack,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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Miranda's fingers are elegant, delicate as bird bones.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Past friends and former associates described him to me as an exceptionally cunning con man, a consummate charmer, and a womanizer.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Starring Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, and Eric Bana, the film was shot on location in the Australian wilderness and features Theron as a grieving woman on a solo adventure who becomes the target of a cunning killer (Egerton) in a twisted game of cat-and-mouse.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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As adroit Mercury starts reversing through your contemplative 12th house, its retrograde invites you to press pause on the cosmic movie in favor of reviewing what’s already happened.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2026
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Girolmo knows exactly what the show needs, and there is a musically adroit and highly personable cast in the not-entirely-Irish persons of Emily Goldberg, the singer-musician Michael Mahler, the fine tenor Luke Nowakowski and Leah Morrow.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But Paul Anthony Kelly is a less deft actor than Pidgeon, and he is given material that adheres even closer to the surface of the legend.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
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And as an accomplished narrative filmmaker and documentarian, Loznitsa unveils deft homages to Jacques Tati and Roy Andersson, deadpan directors who reduce human behavior to its base movements.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The industry now embraces extremes of artistic ambition and extremes of commercial synthetics that wouldn’t have found their way to the public decades earlier.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Charmaine Ayoku is finding her artistic voice.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dexterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dexterous. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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