skill
1 Americannoun
-
the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well.
Carpentry was one of his many skills.
- Synonyms:
- facility, proficiency
- Antonyms:
- inability
-
competent excellence in performance; expertness; dexterity.
The dancers performed with skill.
- Synonyms:
- cleverness, deftness
-
a craft, trade, or job requiring manual dexterity or special training in which a person has competence and experience.
the skill of cabinetmaking.
-
Obsolete. understanding; discernment.
-
Obsolete. reason; cause.
verb (used without object)
-
to matter.
-
to help; avail.
noun
-
special ability in a task, sport, etc, esp ability acquired by training
-
something, esp a trade or technique, requiring special training or manual proficiency
-
obsolete understanding
Other Word Forms
- skill-less adjective
Etymology
Origin of skill1
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse skil “distinction, difference”; cognate with Dutch geschil “difference, quarrel”; skill 2 ( def. )
Origin of skill2
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English skilien, from Old Norse skilja “to distinguish, divide,” akin to skil ( skill 1 ( def. ) ), Old English scylian “to separate,” Gothic skilja “butcher,” Lithuanian skélti “to split”
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.
Beau was also able to learn some new skills.
From BBC
"But if you have a production facility close to the mining facility, then you need some technical skills in these processing facilities," he said.
From Barron's
Malinin debuted the historic skill four years ago, soon after he was left off the 2022 Olympic team at age 17.
From Los Angeles Times
Use the skills you’re developing along your journey to be the best friend, family member, colleague, neighbor and lover of self — and above all, lover of life — that you can be.
From Los Angeles Times
The evidence from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter indicates that these hunters combined technical skill with forward planning.
From Science Daily
Definitions 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.
