apt
[apt]
- 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.
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Origin of apt
1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin aptus fastened, fitted, fitting, appropriate, equivalent to ap- fasten, attach + -tus past participle suffix
Synonyms
See more synonyms for apt on Thesaurus.com1. liable. 3. clever, bright; adaptable; handy, adroit, dexterous, skillful. 4. fitting, meet, germane, felicitous.
Synonym study
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
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for aptly
Contemporary Examples
History itself has been aptly described as an argument un-ended.
At the same time, she supports her daughter, aptly named Grace, who becomes a Christian in the second season.
The Good Wife’s Religion Politics: Voters Have No Faith in Alicia's AtheismRegina Lizik
November 24, 2014
That goes without saying, as no one woman could aptly represent everyone who identifies within that category.
One was about Girl Scout cookies and the other was aptly titled, “I Love It.”
“Sugababe,” as it has been aptly titled, garners its name from three parts of the building process.
Historical Examples
But that way madness lay, as Shakespeare has so aptly said of another matter.
Ruggles of Red GapHarry Leon Wilson
"The Hithertos," as Mr. Zangwill has aptly termed them, are helpless.
The Truth About WomanC. Gasquoine Hartley
"That looks good to me," said Peter, delighted that the argot fell so aptly from his lips.
The Vagrant DukeGeorge Gibbs
If so, he had performed an unprecedented feat in recalling it so aptly.
Peak and PrairieAnna Fuller
These tales may be aptly described the best books for boys and girls.
Dave Darrin on Mediterranean ServiceH. Irving Hancock
apt
- 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)
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Word Origin
C14: from Latin aptus fitting, suitable, from apere to fasten
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for aptly
apt
adj.
mid-14c., "inclined, disposed;" late 14c., "suited, fitted, adapted," from Old French ate (13c., Modern French apte), or directly from Latin aptus "fit, suited," adjectival use of past participle of *apere "to attach, join, tie to," from PIE root *ap- "to grasp, take, reach" (cf. Sanskrit apnoti "he reaches," Latin apisci "to reach after, attain," Hittite epmi "I seize"). Elliptical sense of "becoming, appropriate" is from 1560s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper