deft
Americanadjective
-
defter,
comparative
-
deftest
superlative
adjective
Synonym Usage
See dexterous.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of deft
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English; variant of daft
Explanation
Deft means "showing cleverness and skill in handling things." What you want to see in football or basketball is some deft handling of the ball. Some people are physically deft, like accomplished athletes and ballet dancers. Their movements are fast, graceful, and deliberate. Others might be mentally or intellectually deft. You could describe a beautifully written essay as deft, or talk about a politician's deft work on an anti-bullying bill. The source of deft is the Old English gedæfte, "mild or gentle," which became deft in Middle English along with its meaning of "apt, skillful, or adept."
Vocabulary lists containing deft
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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.
See Examples For:
Whether he is pulling a pint, tossing a builder's helmet in the air or running with Olympic medallist Mo Farah, the UK's new prime minister Andy Burnham has embraced social media with a deft touch.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
He is also a deft social satirist, no more so than when skewering his characters’ politically correct pretensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Greenspan exhibited a deft touch with financial markets, saying the barest minimum in his statements but seemingly always conveying what traders wanted to hear.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
Nevertheless it has been a coming-of-age moment for Cobolli, whose baseline power, deft touch and athleticism is a match for anyone.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
He was a deft mimic and could do fine imitations of the voices of Jan Smuts, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Andrew Bayliss, the author of “Sparta: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Superpower,” is a defter writer than Xenophon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Even defter is Terrance Fleming’s channeling of a hippie Orsino, who lounges on cushions in the center of the in-the-round stage.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2021
Whatever one may wonder about Özil’s motivations, he has shown a defter touch on social media than most of his teammates have managed on the pitch since the season began.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2020
The balance of mystery and resolution felt defter here than it has in a few episodes, but there were still messes aplenty.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2015
Fair English hands can copy every trick of ancient artistry: finger-skill was never defter, will was never more ardent to do fine things, than now.
From Arts and Crafts Essays by Members of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society by Various
HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country” is the deftest revival of a dead franchise I’ve seen in a long time, and “Dune: Prophecy” is an elegant extension of a cinematic phenomenon.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024
Each serving of pad Thai hor khai, made by the deftest street vendors, is wrapped in a silk-thin omelet.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2022
Bourgue continued to produce an array of winners, including the deftest of drop shots, to delight the home crowd in Philippe Chatrier court.
From BBC ● May 25, 2016
Jay Roach’s movie follows the tribulations—and exhausted triumphs—of Dalton Trumbo, one of the deftest of American screenwriters.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 9, 2015
Nan had the deftest social sense, when she troubled herself to use it.
From Old Crow by Alice Brown
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.
