ambidextrous
- able to use both hands equally well: an ambidextrous surgeon.
- unusually skillful; facile: an ambidextrous painter, familiar with all media.
- double-dealing; deceitful.
- Slang. bisexual.
Origin of ambidextrous
Related Words for ambidextrous
deceitful, deceptive, disingenuous, double-dealing, hypocritical, left-handedExamples from the Web for ambidextrous
Contemporary Examples of ambidextrous
Of course, the ambidextrous ironies of the current situation work both ways.
Historical Examples of ambidextrous
It is thus by attempting to be ambidextrous, I try to ward off attacks.
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1 (of 3)Isaac D'Israeli
I should say he was ambidextrous, but he uses his left hand by preference.
The Red Thumb MarkR. Austin Freeman
A genius, and ambidextrous, he could write sonnets with one hand and compose operas with the other.
Edgar Saltus: The ManMarie Saltus
Inquiry should be made as to whether the patient is right or left handed, or ambidextrous.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and ToxicologyW. G. Aitchison Robertson
For by nature the right hand is the stronger: but nevertheless it may happen that there are ambidextrous men.
AristotleGeorge Grote
ambidextrous
- equally expert with each hand
- informal highly skilled or adept
- underhanded; deceitful
Word Origin and History for ambidextrous
1640s, with -ous, from ambidexter (adj.) "double-dealing" (1610s), from French ambidextre or directly from Latin ambidexter, literally "right-handed on both sides," from ambi- "both" (see ambi-) + dexter "right-handed" (see dexterity). Its opposite, ambilevous "left-handed on both sides, clumsy" (1640s) is rare. Ambidexter as a noun, "one who takes bribes from both sides," is attested from 1530s and is the earliest form of the word in English; its sense of "one who uses both hands equally well" appears by 1590s.
ambidextrous
(ăm′bĭ-dĕk′strəs)- Able to use both hands with equal facility.