deftly

[deft-lee]

adverb

1. in a dexterous or nimble manner; skillfully.

   The nightjar, a nocturnal bird, is an aerial hunter capable of deftly snatching moths from the air in mid flight.

   With clear, concise prose, the author navigates deftly through a complex narrative of diplomacy, war, and politics.

Word History and Origins

Origin of deftly¹

deft ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

As a CEO in the old Silicon Valley mold—an engineer who intimately knows the technology she’s selling—Su is deftly navigating challenges that have tripped up other tech-industry leaders.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At any one time, “No Other Choice” is deftly balancing two related ideas.

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As for the Super Bowl controversy, the host deftly addressed it by showing a spliced together Fox News clip with hosts saying, “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He chooses his words and positions carefully, as he tries to deftly navigate South Korea's place in a shifting world.

Read more on BBC

He speaks about loving your neighbor, but then he deftly pledges to “take on this broken political system and the very powerful people who benefit from this system being broken.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• ably 
• adroitly 
• artfully www.thesaurus.com
• carefully 
• cleverly www.thesaurus.com
• coolly www.thesaurus.com
• deliberately 
• intelligently www.thesaurus.com
• judiciously 
• keenly 
• knowingly www.thesaurus.com
• skillfully www.thesaurus.com
• slyly 
• smartly