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Synonyms

skill

1 American  
[skil] / skɪl /

noun

  1. 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

  2. competent excellence in performance; expertness; dexterity.

    The dancers performed with skill.
    Synonyms:
    cleverness, deftness

  3. a craft, trade, or job requiring manual dexterity or special training in which a person has competence and experience.

    the skill of cabinetmaking.

  4. Obsolete. understanding; discernment.

  5. Obsolete. reason; cause.

skill 2 American  
[skil] / skɪl /

verb (used without object)

Archaic.

  1. to matter.

  2. to help; avail.

skill British  
/ skɪl /

noun

  1. special ability in a task, sport, etc, esp ability acquired by training

  2. something, esp a trade or technique, requiring special training or manual proficiency

  3. obsolete understanding

"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

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.

Critics argue the system rewards workers not for skill or experience, but for what their behavior reveals about their financial vulnerability.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Ms. Zenovich possesses the interviewer’s most valuable skill, knowing when to shut up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

So the driver's skill is not really needed any more.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

But that agenda is also profoundly narcissistic and poorly conceived, not to mention managed by shameless lickspittles whose only authentic job skill lies in praising the boss.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

While each episode is a self-contained narrative designed to illuminate one propitious moment with as much storytelling skill as I can muster, taken together they feature several common themes.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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.