deftly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of deftly
Explanation
When something's done deftly, it's accomplished with style and skill. You'd be sure to impress your friends if you grabbed three grapefruits, juggled them deftly, and returned them to their bowl, all while carrying on a conversation. A physical or athletic act can be done deftly, or easily and well, but deftly can also describe something done with cleverness or wit, like a musician writing song lyrics deftly. The Old English word gedæfte, which means "mild" or "gentle," is the root of the word deftly, whose meaning still has that sense of doing something both skillfully and gently, or effortlessly.
Vocabulary lists containing deftly
Number the Stars
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Holes
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myPerspectives 9.1
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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.
The ending is so understated yet so piercing that it may take days to process how deftly it encapsulates the shared tragedy that, decades later, still ensnares them all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Mr. Kolker handles complex neuroscience deftly but also remains attuned to the unique philosophical questions raised by FTD.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
How was this country legend able to walk the line so deftly?
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Clad in pink and purple and wielding a pink power drill, Liu Xingyun, founder of Shero, deftly took an air conditioner to bits when AFP accompanied her on a recent home visit.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
He watched while the man deftly patted flour onto the pieces of meat and then added the rabbit to the pan.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
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.
