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.
Hermès moves talented salespeople around the country often and they are responsible for client outreach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
And because Moore is so talented — so uniquely proficient at finding the human depth at the core of all her characters — she can make Mona unforgettable.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
That makes success in this music tricky, and for whatever reason the immensely talented Mr. Ólafsson and the Philharmonic seemed out of sync, at least figuratively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
“No expense is going to be spared fighting this case, and it will be fought by some very talented and well-resourced people.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
“You already know what became of Charlotte. As for me, I grew up and fell in love with a kind and talented man.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
