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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

Example 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
The political right has been adept at transforming class anger into opposition to elites defined not by wealth, but by cultural capital — professors, journalists and coastal technocrats. Chris Reed, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025 And now: Hardy has evolved since then into a rock star adept at making country music that thumbs its nose at mainstream expectations. Laura L. Davis, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Noun
Perhaps Sheridan’s greatest magic trick occurs on Landman, where the adept acting of Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm make the case that Thornton’s oil-field fixer and Hamm’s billionaire are the true American martyrs. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2025 Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans. Holland Cotter, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for adept
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adept
Adjective
  • While advanced data analytics can flag some of these anomalies, a skilled negotiator with full market visibility can go deeper.
    Eric Steele, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • Despite being made by skilled artisans on the Sicilian coast and designed in Sydney, the U.S. market is already one of its main drivers, its founder and interior designer Isabella Wilde said.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • Brighton and Hove Albion have become experts at it.
    Steve Madeley, New York Times, 9 July 2025
  • Our shopping experts are selecting the best Prime Day deals on Dyson vacuums, Apple AirPods, Kendra Scott jewelry, and other best-selling products across various categories.
    Isabel Garcia, People.com, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • Statewide, 28 schools got A grades despite at least half of their students not being proficient in language arts, while 56 schools got the top grade even though half or more of their students scored poorly in math.
    Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
  • Some analysts said a new category of jobs could require humans to evaluate the quality and authenticity of AI output, while others said AI may become proficient enough to negate many of those roles.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • Upper Buffalo Land Becomes Wilderness Area Tom Foti is a master botanist and former ecologist/research chief at the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 6 July 2025
  • Learn how to meal prep like a pro, create quick and nutritious grab-and-go options, and master time-saving hacks that keep you energized without the morning chaos.
    Essence, Essence, 6 July 2025
Adjective
  • But despite those skillful trappings, the story soon feels ponderous.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 July 2025
  • And there was also skillful attention to the right marketing and distribution details.
    Andrew Tobias, Vulture, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • In addition to being a Sachs scholar, she was named a Gates Scholarship winner — a prestigious award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 12 July 2025
  • Robert Osborn, an early thinker on lawn tennis, was also a religious scholar.
    Sam Knight, New Yorker, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • Part of his reasoning for his decision to leave out such experienced internationals from his Euros squad was to offer more players major tournament experience.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 10 July 2025
  • Duffy is also viewed as a capable leader and experienced politician who understands how Washington, DC, works.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • Perhaps the most systematic attempt to bring order to this chaos comes from Google DeepMind, which in July 2024 proposed a framework with five levels of AGI performance: emerging, competent, expert, virtuoso, and superhuman.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2025
  • Even with Caitlin Clark once again sidelined, the Fever have been able to count on the virtuoso scoring talent of Kelsey Mitchell and the veteran expertise of Natasha Howard to help stabilize them.
    Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adept. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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