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

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

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

Though fluent in academic lingo, his verse was approachable, written with students and the public in mind and indicative of someone who always made sure to not stay stuck in the proverbial ivory tower.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

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

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

He was fluent in several European languages and acted as a kind of clearing house for scientific information, communicating by letter with scientists all over Europe.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• eloquent
• persuasive
• talkative
• vocal