1
as in virtuoso
accomplished with trained ability
the ice skater performed a skillful and graceful series of jumps
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in skilled
having or showing exceptional knowledge, experience, or skill in a field of endeavor
performance testing of automobiles that should be done only by skillful drivers on a closed course
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something
the skillfulness with which she handled that touchy situation is indeed admirable
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skillful
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
Adjective
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
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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
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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
Noun
-
Dayforce will today release its annual pulse survey of roughly 7,000 workers in six countries, showing that 71% of workers have not received AI training in the past year—even though 63% of workers say developing such skills is important.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
6 Oct. 2025
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To be funny while playing a character who’s sweet and endearing (even when calling his friends idiots) is a skill, and Bad Bunny has it.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
5 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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With the technology becoming increasingly adept at creating convincing crowd scenes, manipulating visuals has never been easier.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
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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
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For full daily and monthly horoscopes as well as expert readings, see our full Horoscopes experience.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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The struggle of artistic pursuit against personal and political constraints is a subtext embedded throughout An Unfinished Film.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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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