light-fingered

[lahyt-fing-gerd]

adjective

1. skillful at or given to pilfering, especially by picking pockets; thievish.

2. having light and nimble fingers.

light-fingered

adjective

1. having nimble or agile fingers, esp for thieving or picking pockets

Other Word Forms

• light-fingeredness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of light-fingered¹

First recorded in 1540–50

Example Sentences

The owners erected it at the time of the coronavirus pandemic, but keeping out the light-fingered primates was also a prime concern.

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Given the movie’s light-fingered treatment of some facts around the two most important men in Winehouse’s life, the picture starts to sharpen.

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Some great movies do play better in the memory, even if “Asteroid City,” light-fingered and leaden by turns, never quite ascends into their company.

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On its 1990s albums, Matthews’s guitar — often acoustic — was the band’s only chordal instrument, joined in light-fingered counterpoint by saxophone, violin, bass and drums for staccato grooves that blended folk, funk and jazz.

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Mr. Washington’s guitar playing was lean, light-fingered and harmonically rich, conveying a relaxed authority as it teased and jabbed.

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Related Words

• crooked 
• rapacious