First Known Use: 1709
Dictionary
1adept
noun ad·ept \ˈa-ˌdept, ə-ˈdept, a-ˈ\
: a highly skilled or well-trained person : someone who is adept at something
Full Definition of ADEPT
See adept defined for English-language learners
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Examples of ADEPT
- Once safely back in Paris, and having attained his majority, the poet squandered his inheritance with an adept's fervor … —Nicholas Delbanco, Harper's, September 2004
- They recruited computational chemists, software engineers, AI experts, and various other computer adepts, all of whom put their monster minds together to create an automated reasoning system that could inspect vast amounts of chemical data quickly and point the finger at potential new drug compounds. —Ed Regis, Wired, June 2000
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Origin of ADEPT
New Latin adeptus alchemist who has attained the knowledge of how to change base metals into gold, from Latin, past participle of adipisci to attain, from ad- + apisci to reach — more at apt
Related to ADEPT
- Synonyms
- ace, expert, artist, authority, cognoscente, connoisseur, crackerjack (also crackajack), dab [chiefly British], dab hand [chiefly British], fiend, geek, guru, hand, hotshot, maestro, master, maven (also mavin), meister, past master, proficient, scholar, shark, sharp, virtuoso, whiz, wizard
2adept
adjective \ə-ˈdept also ˈa-ˌdept\
: very good at doing something that is not easy
Full Definition of ADEPT
: thoroughly proficient : expert <adept at fixing cars>
— adept·ly \ə-ˈdep-(t)lē, a-\ adverb
— adept·ness \-ˈdep(t)-nəs\ noun
See adept defined for English-language learners
Examples of ADEPT
- Madison, Jefferson's lifelong friend, collaborator, and political ally, was quizzical and skeptical. His mind was less capacious and less elevated than Jefferson's, but more … original, and instinctively contrary. Less learned than Jefferson, his verbal skills inferior, he was almost pedantically alert to inner complications, and so, though less adept a politician, he was more consistent. —Bernard Bailyn, To Begin the World Anew, 2003
- Three small figurines carved of ivory from mammoth tusks have been found in a cave in southwestern Germany, providing stronger evidence that human ancestors were already adept at figurative art more than 30,000 years ago, an archaeologist is reporting today. —John Noble Wilford, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2003
- The Angels exploited center-fielder Bernie Williams's weak throwing arm in the division series against the Yankees and are adept at scampering from first to third on hits to the outfield. —Jack Curry, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2002
- Barnum was especially adept at pulling back one curtain after another, keeping the audience in a state of panting uncertainty, perpetually postponing the revelation of what was “really” going on. —Jackson Lears, New Republic, 12 Nov. 2001
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Origin of ADEPT
(see 1adept)
First Known Use: circa 1691
Related to ADEPT
- Synonyms
- accomplished, ace, proficient, compleat, complete, consummate, crack, crackerjack, educated, experienced, expert, good, great, master, masterful, masterly, practiced (also practised), professed, skilled, skillful, versed, veteran, virtuoso
- Antonyms
- amateur, amateurish, inexperienced, inexpert, jackleg, unprofessional, unseasoned, unskilled, unskillful
Synonym Discussion of ADEPT
proficient, adept, skilled, skillful, expert mean having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession. proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice <proficient in translating foreign languages>. adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency <adept at doing long division>. skilled stresses mastery of technique <a skilled surgeon>. skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance <skillful drivers>. expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill <expert in the evaluation of wines>.
ADEPTLY Defined for Kids
adept
adjective ad·ept \ə-ˈdept\
Definition of ADEPT for Kids
: very good at something <adept at swimming>
— adept·ly adverb
— adept·ness noun
Word History of ADEPT
Several centuries ago, at the beginnings of modern science, some people claimed to have found the trick of turning common metals to gold. The Latin word adeptus, meaning “someone who has attained something,” was even used to describe a person who could perform this feat. The English word adept, which means “skilled at something,” came from this Latin word. Certainly, a person who could make gold in this way would have to be highly skilled.
Word Root of ADEPT
The Latin word aptus, meaning “fit” or “suitable,” gives us the root apt or ept. Words from the Latin aptus have something to do with being fitting or suitable. Something apt fits just right into a situation. To adapt is to change in order to fit a situation better. Someone who is adept has suitable skills to perform a task well, while someone who is inept does not.
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