variants also dextrous

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dexterous different from other adjectives like it?

The words adroit and deft are common synonyms of dexterous. While all three words 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

In what contexts can adroit take the place of dexterous?

The words adroit and dexterous can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Where would deft be a reasonable alternative to dexterous?

While in some cases nearly identical to dexterous, deft emphasizes lightness, neatness, and sureness of touch or handling.

a surgeon's deft manipulation of the scalpel

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 dexterous 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 By creating a fuller picture which centers Medusa in her own story, Hynes creates a more dexterous Medusa, one imbued with more agency and less tragedy. Irenosen Okojie july 11, Literary Hub, 11 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 Kristin Chenoweth and Aaron Tveit both gave pitch-perfect on-the-spot deliveries as Erivo held out her microphone to them, but the most memorable was definitely Lambert, who blew the crowd away with spontaneous, dexterous riffs. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for dexterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dexterous
Adjective
  • Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
    Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Gordon’s experience as a first option in Orlando could come in handy, at least.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As if that wasn’t enough, Twenty One Pilots also continues to demonstrate a skillful way of designing TikTok- and Instagram story-ready moments for fans of all flavors.
    Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Ragnar is one of the very best Nordic crime writers, as skillful in thrillers like this series as in murder mystery stories.
    Anders de la Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Moses is only 27 but is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most prolific and skilled contemporary filmmakers.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Much of Moreas’s difficulty stems from a shrinking pool of skilled labor in the health care workforce.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Thanks to the masterful intervention of designer Petr Grigorash, the vintage decor of this 807-square-foot home in a small village near Como offers a fresh interpretation of a certain Northern Italian classicism.
    Valentina Raggi, Architectural Digest, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The first Universal Frankenstein movie to be produced after James Whale’s masterful diptych loses Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein, jumping ahead to his adult son Wolf (Basil Rathbone) returning to his ancestral home, where the resentful villagers give him the cold shoulder.
    Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The magnetic phone holder was so simple yet so clever.
    Anita Katee, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Through draping, Yin created volumes and shapes as if they were achieved via padding, but in fact were just clever patterns.
    Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • They are also considered expert navigators and have returned to some of the same grasslands for thousands of years.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Continue reading … 'ADMITTEDLY UNUSUAL' – Teacher's 23-stab-wound death ruled suicide again despite expert claims of homicide.
    , FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But when a famous author sneaks into town and a body is found in his penthouse apartment, cunning fox investigator Vera Vixen must piece together what happened.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Norris portrays the cunning and relentless Chief Dennison, with Tripp as Liz Bradley, a border patrol agent with a true-north moral compass, in her first major film role.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In a frantic but delicate rescue, captured on images and video reviewed by CNN, a policeman dug away the packed earth.
    Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Avanova Casual Tie Neck Blouse This tie-neck blouse is the perfect blend of modern and vintage with its bishop sleeves and a delicate bow tied along the collar.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dexterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dexterous. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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