proficient
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of proficient
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin prōficient-, stem of prōficiēns, present participle of prōficere “to advance, make progress,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + -ficere, combining form of facere “to make, do”; cf. do, efficient
Explanation
When someone has become good at something, they are proficient. After all those hours playing video games, you must be very proficient at them. Proficient comes from the Latin for making progress, so if someone is proficient, they have made so much progress that they've become good at something. Use proficient to talk about improvement through practice instead of natural ability; even a person with no inherent skill at language can become proficient in Latin. If you're proficient at tennis, you're good, but it doesn't imply the kind of mastery for which the expert is used.
Vocabulary lists containing proficient
Grade 9, List 1
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not notably charismatic or proficient in English, Mr. Eisenkot doesn’t try to beat Mr. Netanyahu at his own game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
To get Sgiarth proficient in both mountain rescue and marine conservatuion has needed hard work and long hours from both dog and owner.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Founded in 1989 by Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward, Chesapeake became proficient at fracking for natural gas and in the 2000s grew at breakneck speed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
They can be technically proficient, maybe even a little funny, but there is always an underlying cadence of the uncanny valley that I still doubt Suno v6 pro et al. or whatever has totally overcome.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Hours of practice had turned me into a proficient but slow fence builder.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
