deftness

[deft-nis]

noun

1. cleverness or skill in using either the body or mind; dexterity or nimbleness.

   He was a highly skilled artisan who used his tools with the deftness and certainty of genius.

Word History and Origins

Origin of deftness¹

deft ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Men who don’t understand Los Angeles will never understand me, and for that, they’re unworthy of my deftness at loving.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

With the psychological deftness of a cult leader, Trump is able to infiltrate the shadowed corners of America’s consciousness, casting a sinister silhouette that bends reality into a fevered hallucination of chaos and bloodlust.

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With an offhand deftness, Ceylan lays bare the sort of master operator who hides in plain sight, skilled at ensnaring unwitting victims.

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Emecheta, with immense deftness and subtlety, provides a haunting and forceful attack on patriarchy, sexism and misogyny in Nigeria, and indicates how they taint and limit a nation.

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And Borgli, who serves as his own editor, weaves them into the narrative with a deftness that confounds our sense of what is and isn’t really happening.

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Related Words

• nimbleness www.thesaurus.com