talented
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of talented
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English: “inclined, disposed”; talent + -ed 3
Explanation
If you're really good at something, you're talented. Both a professional violinist and an amateur singer with a beautiful voice can be called talented musicians. Talented wordsmiths will know that some other ways to say talented include proficient, adept and skilled. This adjective comes from the noun talent, which talented etymologists have traced back to the Greek root talanton, "balance, weight, or sum of money."
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.
She looks at him and continues, “he’s very talented and very patient.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2026
My father was a coach, and he instilled: You may not be the most talented, but be someone they can count on.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
"There's lots of really talented people with Down syndrome out there who are making things, but it kind of reinforces the narrative that people with Down syndrome can't and it must be AI," he said.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
"That was a talented group - a pure privilege for me as a coach," he explains.
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026
Gus moved to New York City to be an actor, because he was very talented.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
