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

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

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

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); ad-, apt

Example Sentences

A man so adept at helping clients navigate boardroom intrigue was pushed out from Paul Weiss’s chairmanship by an internal revolt after 18 years at the helm.

From The Wall Street Journal

In reality, you just know no other company is as adept at fusing hardware and software and that it’s the tech most of your readers are using everyday anyway.

From The Wall Street Journal

He was so adept with his hands; it was amazing to watch.

From Literature

This underlines how City have been incredibly adept at bringing through players from their academy and selling them for high transfer fees.

From BBC

Fabian Hinz, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that Tehran has become adept in recent years at producing more simply designed missile launchers that are quicker to build.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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