skilful

[skil-fuh l]

adjective

Chiefly British. skillful.

Related formsskil·ful·ly, adverbskil·ful·ness, noun

skillful

[skil-fuhl]

adjective

having or exercising skill: a skillful juggler.
showing or involving skill: a skillful display of fancy diving.
Obsolete. reasonable; rational.

Also especially British, skil·ful.

Origin of skillful

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at skill¹, -ful

Related formsskill·ful·ly, adverbskill·ful·ness, nounqua·si-skill·ful, adjectivequa·si-skill·ful·ly, adverb

Synonyms for skillful

1. ready, adroit, deft, adept, apt, clever, ingenious.

Synonym study

1. Skillful, skilled, expert refer to readiness and adroitness in an occupation, craft, or art. Skillful suggests especially adroitness and dexterity: a skillful watchmaker. Skilled implies having had long experience and thus having acquired a high degree of proficiency: not an amateur but a skilled worker. Expert means having the highest degree of proficiency; it may mean much the same as skillful or skilled, or both: expert workmanship. See also dexterous.

Antonyms for skillful

1. awkward, clumsy, amateurish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for skilful

Contemporary Examples of skilful

Unlike Thatcher, he had been skilful at PMQ while opposition leader, and he carried it over into his own government.
Prime Ministers vs. Parliament: Winners & Losers
David A. Graham
July 20, 2011

Historical Examples of skilful

But they were again outmanoeuvred by the skilful dispositions of Agis.
Stories from Thucydides
H. L. Havell
These pages may serve to record the actions of brave and skilful men.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill
He was an impetuous leader; but he was skilful too; he never lost his head.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa
The envelope had been tampered with by a skilful manipulator.
The Slave Of The Lamp
Henry Seton Merriman
Oh, he's too clever, too skilful by far to have taken the robe.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for skilful

skilful

US skillful

adjective

possessing or displaying accomplishment or skill
involving or requiring accomplishment or skill

Derived Formsskilfully or US skillfully, adverbskilfulness or US skillfulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for skilful

skillful

adj.

also skilful, early 14c., from skill + -ful. Related: Skillfully; skilfully.