adept
Americanadjective
noun
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adepts
plural
adjective
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very proficient in something requiring skill or manual dexterity
-
skilful; expert
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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adeptnessnoun
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nonadeptadjective
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unadeptadjective
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adeptlyadverb
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nonadeptlyadverb
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unadeptlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing adept
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Phantom Tollbooth
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Bright Ideas: Synonyms For "Smart"
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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.
See Examples For:
So do the call-ups of Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Newcastle left-back Lewis Hall, who are both extremely adept in possession of the ball.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
He proves as adept at building things as destroying them, and oversees large public works, including sewers, aqueducts and the original Pantheon in Rome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Our field needs to recognize the importance of and invest in more health communicators, behavioral scientists, and adept practitioners who understand that being right is only part of the task.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
The narwhals, on the other hand, proved themselves adept scientists.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
He was a compact gentleman, and one could easily imagine that, in his earlier years, he had been adept at springing and vaulting.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
To borrow from “The Big Lebowski,” another cult classic passed around by DVD-owning adepts, say what you will about moron-maxxing, at least it’s an ethos.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
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
She collected over four hundred alchemical, medicinal, and cosmetic recipes, and corresponded with other alchemical adepts about materials and laboratory techniques.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 20, 2015
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
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.
