HABILE Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

habile

adjective

Definition of habile

as in capable

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for habile

Adjective

And Ormund Hightower appears to be very capable at this particular game, which should come as no surprise given Otto was his uncle and the Hightowers are wildly rich and powerful.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
The powerful winds are capable of causing catastrophic damage to structures while downing trees and power lines, and producing prolonged power outages.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Definition of capable

Adjective

The vomeronasal organ is adept at detecting airborne and non-airborne odors, allowing the snake to analyze the chemical composition of its surroundings.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026
But AfD has long become adept at harnessing discontent with issues well beyond its signature theme of curbing migration, which powered its rise in the mid-2010s.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of adept

Adjective

Cuba’s doctors for decades have worked in developing nations such as Gambia and Venezuela, skilled in providing care with scarce resources.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Over time, people become highly skilled at succeeding within the measurement system, even if the organization itself is no better off.

— Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of skilled

Adjective

Pitching in the rotation spot vacated when Randy Vásquez went on the IL with a right ankle bruise, Márquez overcame a 31-pitch first inning and was able to walk off the mound four innings later pumping his fist after throwing just 51 more.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
But the con artist on the run, chasing freedom, never quite able to let go of the life she was born into, contains so much of the woman who raised me.

— Marissa Stapley, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

Definition of able

Adjective

There’s likely to be grasping, resisting, skillful and futile efforts to swim and worry about what’s up ahead.

— Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
One of the few calls of the night was from Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, ready to get his hands on the skillful point guard.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026

Definition of skillful

Adjective

Only 18% of West Virginia’s 8th graders are proficient in math, while 31% of 4th graders are proficient.

— Jack Bernard, Washington Post, 6 July 2026
But even as democratic governments have become more proficient and more technologically adept at thwarting terrorists, some in our societies have become insensitive, or even callous, about the civilizational consequences of terror and violence.

— Anne Neuberger, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026

Definition of proficient

Adjective

This highly competent, obsessive duo tumbles into a self-destructive cat-and-mouse dynamic — but who’s the cat and who’s the mouse?

— Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026
The burden of this rule will fall heaviest on first-generation and nontraditional students — the exact demographic necessary to build a culturally competent health care workforce.

— David S. Shapiro, STAT, 30 June 2026

Definition of competent

Adjective

That the decade’s anniversary is considered worth marking indicates that Bowie’s standing remains undiminished, with an end that came only two days after the release of his final album, the masterly Blackstar.

— Alexander Larman, Time, 10 Jan. 2026
The last redoubt was the masterly Structure 27.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

Definition of masterly

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.

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“Habile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/habile. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of habile

adjective

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