adroitness

American  

[uh-droit-nis] / əˈdrɔɪt nɪs /

noun

1. dexterity, flexibility, ease, and speed in the use of the hands or body.

   Instead of main roads he prefers the steep, rocky shortcuts through the forest, which he negotiates with the adroitness of a dancer.

2. clever skill or ingenuity.

   The former governor, whose eight years out of office have eroded his adroitness as a debater, delivered a low-key and sometimes halting performance.

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Other Word Forms

• unadroitness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of adroitness

adroit ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

And his adroitness in capturing musical performance is easy to see in “The Color Purple,” produced by a trio of heavyweights from the first film: Oprah Winfrey, Spielberg and Quincy Jones.

From Washington Times • Dec. 21, 2023

This was a dangerous dance that required adroitness, experience and another kind of courage.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2023

Ranariddh traded on his position as the son of Sihanouk, but lacked his father’s strong personality and political adroitness.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2021

Whence, then, L’Engle’s adroitness at fantasy or science fiction, call it what you will, with its reliance on enormous inventiveness, narrative panache and derring-do?

From New York Times • May 18, 2018

By her own quick-wittedness and adroitness she had turned the tables on her would-be destroyer.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie