deft

[deft]

See more synonyms for deft on Thesaurus.com

adjective, deft·er, deft·est.

dexterous; nimble; skillful; clever: deft hands; a deft mechanic.

Origin of deft

1175–1225; Middle English; variant of daft

Related formsdeft·ly, adverbdeft·ness, nounun·deft, adjective

Synonym study

See dexterous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for deftly

Contemporary Examples

Nothing does it quite like deftly decapitating a bottle of bubbly with a gleaming blade.
How to Saber a Champagne Bottle
James Joiner, The Daily Beast Video
December 30, 2014
Soviet forces had deftly enveloped the German 4th and 9th Armies, annihilating some 28 divisions.
Hitler’s Hail Mary
James A. Warren
December 20, 2014
In her new memoir, Lena Dunham deftly articulates many of the concerns facing women her age.
Time to Grow Up, Lena Dunham
Emily Shire
October 10, 2014
Yes, Burns and Ward have produced an Intimate History that deftly weaves together the personal and the political.
Ken Burns’s ‘Roosevelts’ Fine But Flawed
Harvey J. Kaye
September 14, 2014
Colbert has deftly hosted benefits and other shows and given hilarious and poignant commencement speeches.
Yes, Stephen Colbert Will Be Great as Host of CBS’s ‘Late Night’
Pete Dominick
April 10, 2014

Historical Examples

She stood out in the corridor while this was deftly and swiftly done.
Jennie Baxter, Journalist
Robert Barr
She guided him deftly back to music, to the opera, to the night of Iphigenia.
The Coryston Family
Mrs. Humphry Ward
He had taken his hat, and was smoothing it deftly with the palm of his hand.
The Market-Place
Harold Frederic
Yet even from this rebuff he managed to deftly extract a compliment.
James Boswell
William Keith Leask
He turned toward her; she accomplished that deftly, then glanced across at the clock.
The Crimson Tide
Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for deftly

deft

adjective

quick and neat in movement; nimble; dexterous

Derived Formsdeftly, adverbdeftness, noun

Word Origin

C13 (in the sense: gentle): see daft

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deftly

adv.

mid-15c., from deft + -ly (2).

deft

adj.

Old English gedæfte "mild, gentle," differentiated in Middle English into daft (q.v.) and this word, via sense of "apt, skillful, adept." Cognate with Gothic gadaban "to be fit," Old Norse dafna "to grow strong," Dutch deftig "important, relevant."

deft

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}deft

Synonym study

Related Words

Examples from the Web for deftly

Contemporary Examples

Nothing does it quite like deftly decapitating a bottle of bubbly with a gleaming blade.

Soviet forces had deftly enveloped the German 4th and 9th Armies, annihilating some 28 divisions.

In her new memoir, Lena Dunham deftly articulates many of the concerns facing women her age.

Yes, Burns and Ward have produced an Intimate History that deftly weaves together the personal and the political.

Colbert has deftly hosted benefits and other shows and given hilarious and poignant commencement speeches.

Historical Examples

She stood out in the corridor while this was deftly and swiftly done.

She guided him deftly back to music, to the opera, to the night of Iphigenia.

He had taken his hat, and was smoothing it deftly with the palm of his hand.

Yet even from this rebuff he managed to deftly extract a compliment.

He turned toward her; she accomplished that deftly, then glanced across at the clock.

deft

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for deftly

adv.

deft

adj.

Origin of deft