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
Relevance
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
Cleaning looked mundane compared with dexterous manipulation.
—
Ashis Ghosh, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Wednesday whisked the dexterous appendage and his digits to her Uncle Fester, who wass sleeping in Eugene’s bee shed, to revive him with his electric shock ability.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2025
King has a blogger’s punch and an essayist’s analysis—her dexterous writing is intelligent, observant, and very, very funny.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
Making a hand that is as dexterous as a human one is one of the biggest challenges in robotics.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dexterous
Ashis Ghosh, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Wednesday whisked the dexterous appendage and his digits to her Uncle Fester, who wass sleeping in Eugene’s bee shed, to revive him with his electric shock ability.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2025
King has a blogger’s punch and an essayist’s analysis—her dexterous writing is intelligent, observant, and very, very funny.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
Making a hand that is as dexterous as a human one is one of the biggest challenges in robotics.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dexterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dexterous
Adjective
-
No army in history seemed ever to have been more ragged and motley and mongrel and polyglot than the Continental, rich and poor, learned and illiterate, from boys to old men, skilled and unskilled, born all over the world, speaking dozens of languages, believing in different gods and in no god.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
China is increasingly leading the US as the center of global research, and cuts and restrictions on skilled migration are hampering Washington’s fightback.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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
-
Kayla Poirier didn’t get the glory that comes associated with scoring a goal, but without a couple skillful touches by the senior, Mahtomedi would no longer have a chance to repeat as state champions.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The skillful craftsmanship of the artists is amazing, and the story is also great.—
Billboard Japan,
Billboard,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Lily Allen strikes a pose in a delicate lace outfit on the carpet at 2025 CFDA Fashion Awards.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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The idea worked on paper, but in practice, the alignment was extremely delicate, and the overall setup became unstable and hard to scale.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The OptiPlex 7020 is one in its nearly endless line of business towers, and this one has a surprisingly adroit loadout in terms of components.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 July 2025
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SpaceX is the implied template: Musk will advocate for privatizing the government, outsourcing the affairs of state to nimble entrepreneurs and adroit technologists.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
19 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The Borg represent our fear of erasure, of disappearing into a vast, flat, and uncaring bureaucracy, and are one of modern fiction's most deft updates to the existential horror first popularized in the fiction of Franz Kafka.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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But instead, New York soon scored on yet another counterattack — a problem to defend for CLT FC the entire match — as Fernandez scored his second goal of the game with a deft chip over Kahlina.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
White gave props to some other iconic duos — representing non-musical disciplines — that preceded the White Stripes onto the national artistic stage.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Beginning in 2004, the zAmya Theater Project connects communities throughout the Twin Cities to theater and artistic expression, centering on social justice, advocacy and collaboration, according to its website.—
Sophia Arndt,
Twin Cities,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dexterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dexterous. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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