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proficient

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word proficient distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of proficient are adept, expert, skilled, and skillful. While all these words mean "having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession," proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

When might adept be a better fit than proficient?

In some situations, the words adept and proficient are roughly equivalent. However, adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

When could expert be used to replace proficient?

The words expert and proficient can be used in similar contexts, but expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

In what contexts can skilled take the place of proficient?

The synonyms skilled and proficient are sometimes interchangeable, but skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

When is it sensible to use skillful instead of proficient?

While the synonyms skillful and proficient are close in meaning, skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

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 proficient
Adjective
The new model is also reportedly better at following instructions and intended to be more proficient at using an individual’s computer to take actions for them. John Kell, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025 The Defense secretary emphasized that every member of the armed forces should be proficient in basic infantry skills. Filip Timotija, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Ganado Unified School District saw a 159 percent increase in students who tested proficient. Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025 Hispanic kids were likewise lagging the state average, 37% proficient in English and 30% in mathematics. The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for proficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proficient
Adjective
  • Approximately 90 percent of formalwear garments are manufactured in Asia, including in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Myanmar and other countries that have the skilled labor and infrastructure needed to produce them.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2025
  • If your Wi-Fi is protected by a weak password or uses outdated encryption, a skilled attacker might gain access without ever stepping inside your house.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • An effective trustee is skilled in conflict resolution and adept at maintaining open communication while prioritizing the trust’s objectives.
    Royce Ramey, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Slot shares this staple of Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou’s attacking principles, with Porro adept at tucking inside to disrupt the opposition shape.
    Andy Jones, New York Times, 9 Apr. 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
Noun
  • Earlier this week, OpenAI announced a council of eight experts who will advise the company and provide insight into how AI affects users’ mental health, emotions and motivation.
    Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
  • This is done in an effort to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses and decimate civilian morale, experts have said.
    Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But Tilley's experienced eye noticed there appeared to be a signal coming down from the sky.
    Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Alan Simons is an experienced brewer who spent seven years with Backcountry Brewery in Frisco and another seven leading the beermaking at Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora.
    Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Amber has since earned her master's in social work from Louisiana State University (LSU), per the family's Instagram.
    Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Zarco trained Abdiel Iván Batista, a master jungle rescue instructor who is the director of the Chagres Survival School, CEO of the Safe Jungles Foundation and member of the Panamanian Red Cross First Aid Corps.
    Kit Bernardi, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Most legal scholars interpret this to mean that the President’s duty is to spend the money Congress appropriates, and that the President does not have the power to withhold funds.
    Andy Kroll, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Harvard’s Erica Chenoweth, director of the Non-Violent Action Lab and one of the world’s leading scholars of protest movements, has shown that peaceful resistance is twice as likely to succeed as violent resistance.
    Nancy Gibbs, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Palamides, as a physical-comedy virtuoso, loves mess—there’s a splash zone near the front, with audience members wearing plastic ponchos.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • D’Angelo was raised in a deeply religious Pentecostal family and got his musical start in the church, becoming a virtuoso at several instruments.
    Andrew R. Chow, Time, 14 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Proficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proficient. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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