apt

[ apt ]

/ æpt /

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See synonyms for apt on Thesaurus.com

adjective

inclined; disposed; given; prone: too apt to slander others.

likely: Am I apt to find him at home?

unusually intelligent; able to learn quickly and easily: an apt pupil.

suited to the purpose or occasion; appropriate: an apt metaphor; a few apt remarks on world peace.

Archaic. prepared; ready; willing.

OTHER WORDS FOR apt

1 liable.

3 clever, bright; adaptable; handy, adroit, dexterous, skillful.

4 fitting, meet, germane, felicitous.

See synonyms for apt on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

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Origin of apt

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin aptus “fastened, fitted, fitting, appropriate,” equivalent to ap(ere) “fasten, attach” + -tus past participle suffix

synonym study for apt

4. Apt, pertinent, relevant all refer to something suitable or fitting. Apt means to the point and particularly appropriate: an apt comment. Pertinent means pertaining to the matter in hand: a pertinent remark. Relevant means directly related to and important to the subject: a relevant opinion.

usage note for apt

Some usage guides insist that apt followed by an infinitive can or should be used to mean only “inclined, disposed”: He is apt to ignore matters he regards as unimportant. In fact, apt is standard in all varieties of speech and writing as a synonym for likely in contexts that suggest probability without any implication of a natural disposition toward: Hostilities are apt to break out if the confrontation is not soon resolved. She is apt to arrive almost any time now. See also liable, likely.

OTHER WORDS FROM apt

apt·ly, adverbapt·ness, nouno·ver·apt, adjectiveo·ver·apt·ness, noun

Other definitions for apt (2 of 2)

apt.

abbreviation, plural apts.

apartment (def. 1).

Origin of apt.

First recorded in 1900–05

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use apt in a sentence

But in recent days, I've found Sarah Palin an even more apt comparison.
The IRS Email Double Standard|Matt Lewis|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, it's our governing elites, regardless of party, who are most apt rush us into the future.
Our Lame Cult of the Presidency|James Poulos|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Experts we talked to said the comparison between Goodell and law enforcement may not necessarily be apt.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Sept 14|PunditFact.com|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The compilation also brought the Nazi-riffic Apt Pupil and leach-tastic The Body (aka Stand By Me) to the silver screen.
20 Things You Didn’t Know About 'The Shawshank Redemption'|Bill Schulz|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Their timing is apt: The medical examiner is now a hot commodity in TV-land.
The Dirty Secret Doctors Don't Want You To Know|Kent Sepkowitz|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We are apt to think of these little ones as doing right only when under compulsion: but this is far from the truth.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Those of a more serious turn are apt to show a curious preference for the graver aspects of things.
Children's Ways|James Sully
In this country, we are apt to think when any one dresses himself up, that he is disguising a fool.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
In conversation their minds are apt to remain in a recipient passive state.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
But Bull in authority anywhere is apt to exhibit his horns to those whom he suspects of being nobodies.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for apt (1 of 2)

apt

/ (æpt) /

adjective

suitable for the circumstance or purpose; appropriate

(postpositive; foll by an infinitive) having a tendency (to behave as specified)

having the ability to learn and understand easily; clever (esp in the phrase an apt pupil)

Derived forms of apt

aptly, adverbaptness, noun

Word Origin for apt

C14: from Latin aptus fitting, suitable, from apere to fasten

British Dictionary definitions for apt (2 of 2)