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Synonyms

dexterity

American  
[dek-ster-i-tee] / dɛkˈstɛr ɪ ti /

noun

  1. skill or adroitness in using the hands or body; agility.

  2. mental adroitness or skill; cleverness.


dexterity British  
/ dɛkˈstɛrɪtɪ /

noun

  1. physical, esp manual, skill or nimbleness

  2. mental skill or adroitness: cleverness

  3. rare the characteristic of being right-handed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nondexterity noun

Etymology

Origin of dexterity

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin dexteritās “readiness, skillfulness,” from dexter “skillful” + -itās -ity

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.

No wonder, then, that the film’s genre-hopping dexterity is laced with a hint of melancholy.

From Los Angeles Times

It attacks with all the dexterity of a trained fencer, but with none of the fatigue of a swordsman.

From Literature

The role neatly utilizes Clooney’s gifts for physical comedy, verbal dexterity and conveying inner torment.

From Los Angeles Times

Railway lines, trucks, plastic products, electronic communication—all have tended both to obviate the need for manual dexterity and to chip away at people’s pride in self-sufficiency.

From The Wall Street Journal

Forrester analyst Brian Hopkins said the falling costs of components, combined with improvements to robot dexterity and AI, was helping to make humanoid robots feasible for a variety of different settings.

From BBC