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adept

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word adept distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of adept are expert, proficient, skilled, and skillful. While all these words mean "having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession," adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

When is it sensible to use expert instead of adept?

While in some cases nearly identical to adept, expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

When is proficient a more appropriate choice than adept?

In some situations, the words proficient and adept are roughly equivalent. However, proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

In what contexts can skilled take the place of adept?

The words skilled and adept can be used in similar contexts, but skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

When might skillful be a better fit than adept?

The meanings of skillful and adept largely overlap; however, skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adept
Adjective
Trump’s openly combative style was in many ways less adept at entrenching presidential power than many of his predecessors. Victor Menaldo, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2025 This could be because dense clouds of gas and dust are adept at absorbing X-rays, stunting the emission of this high-energy light. Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mission changes from ending the future of humanity to ensuring its survival, from killing the mother to protecting the son from an assassin adept at quicksilver. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2023 Due to its wing shape, Confuciusornis was likely a fast, yet rigid flyer and not a slow, agile one adept at maneuvering through the forest. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for adept 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adept
Adjective
  • Such trends have already been observed in studies of highly skilled immigrant labor – which can add an additional 6% in entrepreneurial activity to a city within three years.
    London School of Economics, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Feliz plays Samantha Reed who has been trained by her father to be a weapons expert, skilled martial artist and true chameleon all while hiding a mysterious past.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • But experts say detection software can misidentify writing as AI-generated.
    Rachel Hale, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
  • So, the fire chiefs have asked the federal government and arson experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to come in and help local investigators.
    Dua Anjum, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Data from the state education department shows that less than 20% of students in Bridgeport are reading at grade level, and about 12% are proficient in math, Russell-Tucker said.
    Jessika Harkay, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Once core team members are proficient in using platform features and best practices for workflows or processes, the training and development can be extended across the broader workforce.
    Igor Rikalo, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Vahe was an English major at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his master’s degree at Mizzou.
    Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Nicole grew up in Idaho, graduated from Idaho State University and Northwestern University with a master’s degree in journalism.
    Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But Vancouver nonetheless controlled the second stanza of the contest — first levelling the score, and then taking the lead with a persistent, skillful shift on which Brock Boeser, Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson were able to combine for the key go-ahead goal.
    Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
  • His length and explosiveness pair well with a skillful touch and a sharp eye for where teammates are located on the perimeter.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Most presidents have tried the same thing Historically, most presidents and their advisers – and indeed most scholars – have agreed that government bureaucracy is not designed in ways that promote efficiency.
    Jennifer Selin, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Although a sharp debate broke out among scholars, and the courts soon got involved, the program, in its essence, survived the controversy.
    Stephen L. Carter, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The mission for his successor starts with reconfiguring the team’s personality and asking for much more from the many highly experienced internationals within it.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
  • It isn’t projected to increase next year, either, and as a result, the agency has had a difficult time keeping experienced officers, who move on to better-paying jobs with local police agencies.
    Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • In today's job market, choosing between being a virtuoso or polymath is like choosing between a chef's knife and a Swiss Army knife - one perfectly crafted for a specific purpose, the other ready for anything.
    Ann Kirschner, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Zakir Hussain, virtuoso of the tabla instrument and a towering figure in Indian classical music, died on Dec. 15 of chronic lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, at a hospital in San Francisco.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near adept

Cite this Entry

“Adept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adept. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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