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; see -ent

Explanation

To be fluent in something — like a language or an instrument — is to be able to use it smoothly and effortlessly. It takes many years and lots of practice to become fluent in a second language. But when you're finally fluent, you can understand it, speak it, and write easily in it. One French class won't make you fluent — gaining fluency takes years. You can also be fluent in other things that you've practiced and mastered, like cello or computer programming. If you're doing something in a way that makes it look easy, you're fluent.

Example Sentences

Menjivar-Ayala, who is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian, was ordained as a priest in 2004 and became a bishop in 2023.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

It was far from fluent from the four-time world champion, whose highest break of 50 gave him the eighth frame of the contest.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Vargas is also fluent in Spanish because he lived in the Dominican Republic for the first four years of his life.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

For instance, Grace uses his laptops, “waveform-analysis software” and Excel to prompt Rocky to identify numbers in his own language of notes and chords before eventually becoming fluent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

He wasn’t particularly fluent in English, but he liked them.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• eloquent
• persuasive
• talkative
• vocal