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Synonym Chooser

How is the word skillful distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of skillful are adept, expert, proficient, and skilled. While all these words mean "having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession," skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

In what contexts can adept take the place of skillful?

While in some cases nearly identical to skillful, adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

When is it sensible to use expert instead of skillful?

Although the words expert and skillful have much in common, expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

When would proficient be a good substitute for skillful?

The synonyms proficient and skillful are sometimes interchangeable, but proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

When might skilled be a better fit than skillful?

While the synonyms skilled and skillful are close in meaning, skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

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 skillful Just navigating the Bay State Conference will be tough enough as Needham, which defeated Newton North in its season opener, boasts an extremely skillful bunch led by Avery Brodsky, Matteo Neretti and Austin Williams. Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 11 Sep. 2025 But even the most skillful human dealer cannot provide a perfect hand every time. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 5 Sep. 2025 Powell, skillful at opaque Fed-speak, nonetheless signaled a simulative change is likely. Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025 His actors ever game and skillful would, upon Bob’s suggestions and their imaginations, would turn their bodies into the letter G or throw up their arms like the wings of a crow and open their mouths in a silent scream…. Jem Aswad, Variety, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for skillful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skillful
Adjective
  • 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
  • Can Skjei, who’s skilled but had a nightmare first season in Nashville, bounce back?
    Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • But in addition to his reputation as a womanizer, Casanova was also a con man, a skilled liar who came from a family of actors and who over the course of his life manipulated and tricked countless people to maintain wealth and status.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Their streets are lined with lush trees and their Victorian homes are like doll houses, painted in pastels and boasting masterful woodwork that draws crowds of admirers.
    Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • As with earlier films such as Fire at Sea and Notturno, Gianfranco Rosi’s latest work is a masterful act of cinematic immersion.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • With the technology becoming increasingly adept at creating convincing crowd scenes, manipulating visuals has never been easier.
    Chloe Veltman, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Both Reinsve and Skarsgård give towering performances that will not be denied at Oscar time (for Best Actress and Supporting Actor, respectively), given that Neon, which bought the film at Cannes 2024 before production, is adept at playing the awards game.
    Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • For full daily and monthly horoscopes as well as expert readings, see our full Horoscopes experience.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • And Michigan's third grade reading scores have been stubborn, with the proportion of students scoring proficient or higher declining significantly from 2016 to 2025, from 46% of third graders at or above proficiency a decade ago to 39% on the test this spring.
    Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • About one-third of choice students met English language arts benchmarks on the test, while less than 30% were proficient in math.
    Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Coming right after Demna is obviously a major challenge for any artistic director, even a very experienced and talented one such as Pierpaolo Piccioli.
    Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The struggle of artistic pursuit against personal and political constraints is a subtext embedded throughout An Unfinished Film.
    Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Space near the stadium is at a premium, and experienced tail-Gators often get up at the crack of dawn to stake out their territory.
    Skye Sherman, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The Billboard Daily Crossword puzzle is powered by PuzzleMe™, created by an experienced team of crossword puzzle-making pros with oversight from the trivia hounds on Billboard’s staff.
    Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Skillful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skillful. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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