expert

[ek-spurt, ek-spurt, ik-spurt]

noun

1. a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; specialist; authority.

   a language expert.

   Synonyms: master, connoisseur

2. Military.

   1. the highest rating in rifle marksmanship, above that of marksman and sharpshooter.

   2. a person who has achieved such a rating.

adjective

1. possessing special skill or knowledge; trained by practice; skillful or skilled (often followed by in orat ).

   an expert driver;

   to be expert at driving a car.

   Synonyms: dexterous, proficient, experienced
   Antonyms: unskillful

2. pertaining to, coming from, or characteristic of an expert.

   expert work;

   expert advice.

verb (used with object)

1. to act as an expert for.

expert

/ ˈɛkspɜːt /

noun

1. a person who has extensive skill or knowledge in a particular field

adjective

1. skilful or knowledgeable

2. of, involving, or done by an expert

   an expert job

Other Word Forms

• expertly adverb
• expertness noun
• nonexpert noun
• proexpert adjective
• unexpert adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of expert¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin expertus “tried,” past participle of experīrī “to try”; experience

Word History and Origins

Origin of expert¹

C14: from Latin expertus known by experience, from experīrī to test; see _experience

Synonym Study

See skillful.

Example Sentences

There are no talking heads in Peck’s film, no experts spelling out the relevance of an author who died in 1950.

From Los Angeles Times

The seeming lack of progress — particularly the inability to develop clear policies and protocol — points to what some experts describe as a larger failure to learn from major fire disasters.

From Los Angeles Times

Government shutdowns are nothing new, but as a health policy expert, I worry this time around the impasse may have far-reaching effects on health care.

From Salon

But exactly where the appellate court may draw the line on presidential fact-finding is tricky, experts said.

From Los Angeles Times

However, a number of western experts have recently pointed to what they say are growing signs that the economy is now under an ever increasing strain.

From BBC

Related Words

• adept 
• adroit 
• deft 
• experienced 
• skilled 
• skillful 
• trained www.thesaurus.com