adept

American  

[uh-dept, ad-ept, uh-dept] / əˈdɛpt, ˈæd ɛpt, əˈdɛpt /

adjective

1. very skilled; proficient; expert.

   an adept juggler.

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noun

• adepts
  plural

1. a skilled or proficient person; expert.

adept British  

adjective

1. very proficient in something requiring skill or manual dexterity

2. skilful; expert

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noun

1. a person who is skilled or proficient in something

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• adeptness
  noun
• nonadept
  adjective
• unadept
  adjective
• adeptly
  adverb
• nonadeptly
  adverb
• unadeptly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• adepts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of adept

First recorded in 1655–65; from Medieval Latin adeptus “one who has attained (the secret of transmuting metals),” noun use of Latin past participle of adipiscī “to attain to” ( ad- “toward” + -ep- combining form of ap- in aptus + -tus past participle suffix); see ad-, apt

Explanation

Are you looking for another word to describe a person who is highly skilled, very proficient or expert at something? Try the adjective adept! In the days of Medieval Latin, an adeptus was a person who had learned the secrets of alchemy. Although an adept person today cannot turn lead into gold, the adjective is still high praise meaning "skilled, expert, highly proficient."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adept adepts

AI can be especially adept at flagging potential rare and hard-to-diagnose diseases, which may otherwise go undetected for years because doctors don’t often see them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Today’s drivers aren’t hearing sirens, law enforcement agencies contend, because modern vehicles are adept at noise-blocking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Though Neill had more than a lifetime’s experience playing characters who were solely benevolent or entirely wicked, he was remarkably adept at navigating the journey back and forth between these two polarities.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

Artificial intelligence has become so adept at creating realistic images, it is increasingly hard to figure out what is real or not.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

With even half an hour of practice, he says, people can become adept at picking up microexpressions.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

And now we know that there are two types, or at least two types, and they have this relationship as adepts and drones.

From Salon ● May 15, 2022

Literature extolling the virtues of silence has been accumulating for millennia, in Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, in sayings of Christian hermits and mystics, in teachings by modern yoga adepts and meditators.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 27, 2017

The Lioness in Winter recounts Burack-Weiss’ coming to terms with life past 70, a quest she pursued by immersing herself in the work of several old female writers she regards as adepts: May Sarton, M.F.K.

From Slate ● Jan. 8, 2016

She collected over four hundred alchemical, medicinal, and cosmetic recipes, and corresponded with other alchemical adepts about materials and laboratory techniques.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 20, 2015

There are a few genuine adepts present who throw themselves rapturously into the music, eyes shut, arms upraised, waiting, no doubt, for the onset of glossolalia.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• accomplished
• adroit
• capable
• deft
• proficient
• skilled
• skillful
• versed