proficient

American  

[pruh-fish-uhnt] / prəˈfɪʃ ənt /

adjective

1. well-advanced or competent in any art, science, or subject; skilled.

   a proficient swimmer.

   Synonyms:

   accomplished, experienced, competent, adept, finished, able

   Antonyms:

   inept, unskilled

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noun

1. an expert.

proficient British  

/ prəˈfɪʃənt /

adjective

1. having great facility (in an art, occupation, etc); skilled

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noun

1. an archaic word for an expert

Other Word Forms

• proficiency
  noun
• proficientness
  noun
• overproficient
  adjective
• underproficient
  adjective
• proficiently
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of proficient

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin prōficient-, stem of prōficiēns, present participle of prōficere “to advance, make progress,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + -ficere, combining form of facere “to make, do”; cf. do, efficient

Explanation

When someone has become good at something, they are proficient. After all those hours playing video games, you must be very proficient at them. Proficient comes from the Latin for making progress, so if someone is proficient, they have made so much progress that they've become good at something. Use proficient to talk about improvement through practice instead of natural ability; even a person with no inherent skill at language can become proficient in Latin. If you're proficient at tennis, you're good, but it doesn't imply the kind of mastery for which the expert is used.

Related Words

• accomplished
• adept
• apt
• capable
• competent
• conversant
• efficient
• experienced
• gifted
• qualified
• skillful
• talented
• trained
• versed