adjective
-
skilful or dexterous
-
quick in thought or reaction
Related Words
See dexterous.
Other Word Forms
- adroitly adverb
- adroitness noun
- unadroit adjective
Etymology
Origin of adroit
First recorded in 1645–55; from French, Old French: “elegant, skillful,” equivalent to a- a- 5 + droit, dreit “straight, just, correct,” from Latin dīrēctus; see direct
Explanation
Someone who is adroit is clever and skillful. An adroit leader will be able to persuade people to go with his ideas. An adroit sculptor can turn a lump of clay into an object of great beauty. If you've ever studied French you know that droit means "right," both as in "right of free speech" and as in "left and right," and à droit means both "turn right" and "properly." Once English people borrowed à droit, they changed the meaning slightly, from doing something "properly" to "doing something well." You may have heard the expression "surprisingly adroit," as in, "For a guy whose wife does all the cooking, he is surprisingly adroit in the kitchen."
Vocabulary lists containing adroit
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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This Week in Words: April 14 - 20, 2018
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Pro Tips: Synonyms for "Skilled"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Drew Sensue-Weinstein’s sound design, which included adroit use of reverb on voices and instruments, dovetailed with Gabriel Crouch’s skillful conducting, which brought out the score’s transparent, early music-style radiance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026
The former midfield maestro was expected to overhaul Madrid's game with a cerebral and tactically adroit approach, but his team flattered to deceive.
From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026
But adroit as ever, Kirk had a way of tilting the odds of those engagements in his ideological favor.
From Slate • Sep. 10, 2025
The result, according to the Evening Standard's Nick Curtis, is a "technically adroit and complex production in which a team of stage managers play almost as important a part as Snook".
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2024
There the boy was less adroit, but Haldon was a patient teacher, and Tyrion was able to make himself of use as well.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
