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

Saturday was extremely calm at sea, and the smugglers - adept at studying the weather forecasts - were quick to load large groups of people onto overloaded dinghies.

From BBC

Democratized access to AI tools has resulted in talent oftentimes having access to more powerful tools outside companies and being more adept at using them.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the group has become adept at shape-shifting to circumvent the crackdown, said Moustafa Ayad, an executive director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit that tracks extremist online content.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Cameron was once a crafty genre writer and an adept director; now he is merely a showman.

From The Wall Street Journal

The term gained traction around the league as a way to explain the strategies of guards like Curry and James Harden, who became adept at launching highly difficult 3-pointers with astonishing efficiency.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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