adjective
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skilful or dexterous
-
quick in thought or reaction
Synonym Usage
See dexterous.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of adroit
First recorded in 1645–55; from French, Old French: “elegant, skillful,” equivalent to a- a- 5 + droit, dreit “straight, just, correct,” from Latin dīrēctus; see direct
Explanation
Someone who is adroit is clever and skillful. An adroit leader will be able to persuade people to go with his ideas. An adroit sculptor can turn a lump of clay into an object of great beauty. If you've ever studied French you know that droit means "right," both as in "right of free speech" and as in "left and right," and à droit means both "turn right" and "properly." Once English people borrowed à droit, they changed the meaning slightly, from doing something "properly" to "doing something well." You may have heard the expression "surprisingly adroit," as in, "For a guy whose wife does all the cooking, he is surprisingly adroit in the kitchen."
Vocabulary lists containing adroit
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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This Week in Words: April 14 - 20, 2018
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Pro Tips: Synonyms for "Skilled"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Adroit statecraft and public understatement by Bush during the breakup of the Soviet Union helped manage the transition to freedom with an exquisite sensitivity to Russian feelings.
From The Guardian • Dec. 3, 2018
Maryland's Evolution, Virginia's Adroit Theory and D.C.'s 3 Stars will offer grilled meat and refreshing beverages.
From Washington Post • Jun. 25, 2015
Adroit in the green arts of film and popular music, L.A. is only now beginning to cultivate opera.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 1990
Adroit and resilient, Marcos hits the campaign trail Only six months ago, most observers were preparing to write his political, and possibly even his actual, obituary.
From Time Magazine Archive
Adroit and self-seeking men were often able in the multitude of claims which must necessarily be disposed of by a rapid examination, to impose on Committees of the two Houses.
From Autobiography of Seventy Years, Vol. 1-2 by Hoar, George Frisbie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
