adept

American  

[uh-dept, ad-ept, uh-dept] / əˈdɛpt, ˈæd ɛpt, əˈdɛpt /

adjective

1. very skilled; proficient; expert.

   an adept juggler.

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noun

1. a skilled or proficient person; expert.

adept British  

adjective

1. very proficient in something requiring skill or manual dexterity

2. skilful; expert

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noun

1. a person who is skilled or proficient in something

Other Word Forms

• adeptly adverb
• adeptness noun
• nonadept adjective
• nonadeptly adverb
• unadept adjective
• unadeptly adverb

Etymology

Origin of adept

First recorded in 1655–65; from Medieval Latin adeptus “one who has attained (the secret of transmuting metals),” noun use of Latin past participle of adipiscī “to attain to” ( ad- “toward” + -ep- combining form of ap- in aptus + -tus past participle suffix); ad-, apt

Example Sentences

But equally, he's dealing with a world that's become more adept at riding that wave – and making the most of it.

From BBC

Japanese and Korean automakers were more adept than Detroit at leveraging their bigger, global scale to remain competitive in sedans during the mass migration to SUVs, said Bernard, the consultant.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was adept at engaging people in large part because it was schooled with data drawn directly from users of ChatGPT.

From The Wall Street Journal

A man so adept at helping clients navigate boardroom intrigue was pushed out from Paul Weiss’s chairmanship by an internal revolt after 18 years at the helm.

From The Wall Street Journal

In reality, you just know no other company is as adept at fusing hardware and software and that it’s the tech most of your readers are using everyday anyway.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accomplished
• adroit
• capable
• deft
• proficient
• skilled
• skillful
• versed