Trivia Time

Which mythological figure was so adept at weaving that she challenged the goddess Athena?

Test Your Knowledge

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

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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

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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

“The justice often publicly portrayed as unyielding and inflexible is, behind the scenes, the conservative who is uniquely adept at finding common ground on the most divisive issues.”

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2026

And while City may look to rebuild with a profile of player they believe will be adept at being successful in the EFL, you will likely see a number of their younger players fast-tracked.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The hawks naturally hunt in challenging environments, which makes them adept at flushing out pigeons crowding into a factory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

No wonder the action sequences never seem exhilarating — Latif may be adept at staying alive, but the sanctity of his soul is another matter entirely.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Within a few days I was quite adept at the machine.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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

As McKenna told me, western seekers were eager to believe that eastern adepts had supernatural abilities.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 24, 2019

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

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

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Related Words

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

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