fluent

American  

[floo-uhnt] / ˈflu ənt /

adjective

1. spoken or written with ease.

   fluent French.

2. able to speak or write smoothly, easily, or readily.

   a fluent speaker;

   fluent in six languages.

3. easy; graceful.

   fluent motion;

   fluent curves.

4. flowing, as a stream.

5. capable of flowing; fluid, as liquids or gases.

6. easily changed or adapted; pliant.

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fluent British  

/ ˈfluːənt /

adjective

1. able to speak or write a specified foreign language with facility

2. spoken or written with facility

   his French is fluent

3. easy and graceful in motion or shape

4. flowing or able to flow freely

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Related Words

Fluent, glib, voluble may refer to a flow of words. Fluent suggests the easy and ready flow of an accomplished speaker and is usually a term of commendation: a fluent and interesting speech. Glib implies an excessive fluency divorced from sincerity or profundity; it often suggests talking smoothly and hurriedly to cover up or deceive, not giving the hearer a chance to stop and think; it may also imply a plausible, prepared, and well-rehearsed lie: He had a glib answer for everything. Voluble implies the overcopious and often rapid flow of words characteristic of a person who loves to talk: She overwhelmed him with her voluble answer. See also eloquent.

Other Word Forms

• fluency noun
• fluently adverb
• fluentness noun
• nonfluency noun
• nonfluent adjective
• nonfluentness noun
• overfluency noun
• overfluent adjective
• overfluentness noun
• transfluent adjective
• unfluent adjective

Etymology

Origin of fluent

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin fluent- (stem of fluēns ) “flowing,” present participle of fluere; -ent

Example Sentences

RM, the member who speaks the most fluent English, appears frustrated as he’s tasked with writing many of these lyrics, and Nguyen captures this struggle as well.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

Although they can generate fluent and persuasive responses, they often struggle to reason through complicated questions.

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

He grew up fluent in Germany’s cultural creed and uneasy about its promises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Not to say you have to cover the community that you’re from, but you need fluent Persian speakers to be doing this reporting quickly and as effectively as possible.

From Slate • Mar. 3, 2026

Foreign languages throw me—I have a beginner’s grasp of a few of them, but I can’t really access a person’s memory fast enough to pretend to be fluent in any of them.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

Related Words

• eloquent
• persuasive
• talkative
• vocal