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.
“It just so happened that my brother was exponentially more talented than I was as an athlete, but it’s definitely what at least got me into tennis.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“They are both talented guys who don’t take themselves too seriously, which is something that cannot be said of many in the media business.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The summer transfer window is closed but there are still a host of talented players without a club and therefore available to sign for free.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
But having narrowly missed out on a seeded position in New York - awarded to the top 32 players - the world number 33 was unfortunate to draw talented all-rounder Musetti in his opener.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
There was no question I could do the big skills, and yet as I went up against these talented girls, a part of me wondered if my recent success was a fluke.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
