aptitude
Americannoun
-
capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; talent.
She has a special aptitude for mathematics.
- Synonyms:
- bent, propensity, proclivity, predisposition, faculty, gift
-
readiness or quickness in learning; intelligence.
He was placed in honors classes because of his general aptitude.
- Synonyms:
- acumen
-
the state or quality of being apt; special fitness.
noun
-
inherent or acquired ability
-
ease in learning or understanding; intelligence
-
the condition or quality of being apt
Other Word Forms
- aptitudinal adjective
- aptitudinally adverb
- preaptitude noun
Etymology
Origin of aptitude
First recorded in 1400–50; from Late Latin aptitūdō; apt, -i-, -tude
Explanation
An aptitude is something you're good at. A rock star might have an aptitude for energizing an audience, or for trashing his hotel room. When you have a talent or do something well, people say that you have an aptitude for it. But you don't have to be born with an aptitude; you can also acquire your abilities. You are probably already well acquainted with this word, since the zillions of standardized tests you have taken in school are usually called aptitude tests.
Vocabulary lists containing aptitude
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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The Giver
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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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.
My son, a college librarian, has seen that phenomenon as well as a general erosion of research skills and decision-making aptitude among some students.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026
At a basic level, it resembles a graduate programme for young female drivers who have shown an aptitude in junior levels of karting.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
His aptitude for garnering media attention also brought him criticism over the course of his career from allies and detractors alike.
From Salon • Feb. 17, 2026
Throughout his 20s he worked in jazz clubs, eventually opening a Tokyo bar and coffee shop despite lacking “the slightest aptitude for running a business.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
For the briefest moment, I questioned whether they knew about the aptitude test.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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.
