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

• adepts
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• adepts
  plural

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); see ad-, apt

Explanation

Are you looking for another word to describe a person who is highly skilled, very proficient or expert at something? Try the adjective adept! In the days of Medieval Latin, an adeptus was a person who had learned the secrets of alchemy. Although an adept person today cannot turn lead into gold, the adjective is still high praise meaning "skilled, expert, highly proficient."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adept adepts

Our field needs to recognize the importance of and invest in more health communicators, behavioral scientists, and adept practitioners who understand that being right is only part of the task.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

These mutations are adept at evading targeted treatments and were long considered “undruggable.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The narwhals, on the other hand, proved themselves adept scientists.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Women, she says, tend to be more adept at "masking" the condition.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Tom became increasingly adept at dealing with what he called “rascality”: cow rustlers, horse thieves, scalawags, pimps, rumrunners, stagecoach robbers, desperadoes, and other human transgressors.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

To borrow from “The Big Lebowski,” another cult classic passed around by DVD-owning adepts, say what you will about moron-maxxing, at least it’s an ethos.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

But if even adepts feel that way, why do these true crime mavens continue to dedicate hours dutifully trying to crack mysteries with methods they know are imperfect?

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2020

As McKenna told me, western seekers were eager to believe that eastern adepts had supernatural abilities.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 24, 2019

For adepts of slow rail travel, the new cars preserve the romance of overnight trains, in contemporary comfort, with a choice of hotel-style suites, classic bunk beds or seats.

From New York Times ● Jan. 8, 2019

There are a few genuine adepts present who throw themselves rapturously into the music, eyes shut, arms upraised, waiting, no doubt, for the onset of glossolalia.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

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