Adroit from Merriam Webster

pavings 2

Simple Definition of adroit

Popularity: Top 20% of words
  • : very clever or skillful

Full Definition of adroit

  1. :  having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations <an adroiltleader> <adroit maneuvers>

adroit·ly adverb
adroit·ness noun

Examples of adroit

  1. Rumor has always played a role in politics, but rarely have the backstage operatives been s oadroit, and so cynical, in their use of vitriol. —Walter Shapiro, Time, 10 July 1989

  2. Family medicine … is constructed around the unquantifiable idea that a doctor who treats your grandmother, your father, your niece, and your daughter will be more adroit in treating you. —John McPhee, Table of Contents, 1984

  3. He was adroit with money and was blessed with the extraordinary Spanish gift of prolific, and even inchoate, invention. —V. S. Pritchett, “Goya … ,” 1975, in A Man of Letters, 1985

  4. She is adroit at handling problems.

  5. <with an adroit flick of the wrist, flipped the omelet into the air and landed it squarely back in the pan>

Origin of adroit

French, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + droit right, droit
First Known Use: 1652

Synonym Discussion of adroit

clever, adroit, cunning, ingenious mean having or showing practical wit or skill in contriving. cleverstresses physical or mental quickness, deftness, or great aptitude <a person clever with horses>.adroit often implies a skillful use of expedients to achieve one’s purpose in spite of difficulties<an adroit negotiator>. cunning implies great skill in constructing or creating <a filmmakercunning in his use of special effects>. ingenious suggests the power of inventing or discovering a new way of accomplishing something <an ingenious software engineer>.

dexterous, adroit, deft mean ready and skilled in physical movement. dexterous implies expertness with consequent facility and quickness in manipulation <unrolled the sleeping bag with adexterous toss>. adroit implies dexterity but usually also stresses resourcefulness or artfulness or inventiveness <the magician’s adroit response to the failure of her prop won applause>. deftemphasizes lightness, neatness, and sureness of touch or handling <a surgeon’s deftmanipulation of the scalpel>.

Rhymes with adroit