adroit

[ uh-droit ]

adjective

1. expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body.

   Synonyms: adept, apt, deft, clever, skillful

   Antonyms: clumsy

2. cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious:

   an adroit debater.

adroit

/ əˈdrɔɪt /

adjective

1. skilful or dexterous
2. quick in thought or reaction

Derived Forms

• aˈdroitly, adverb
• aˈdroitness, noun

Other Words From

• a·droit·ly adverb
• a·droit·ness noun
• un·a·droit adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of adroit¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from French, Old French: “elegant, skillful,” equivalent to a- a- ⁵ + droit, dreit “straight, just, correct,” from Latin dīrēctus; direct

Word History and Origins

Origin of adroit¹

C17: from French à droit according to right, rightly

Synonym Study

See dexterous.

Example Sentences

With Vice President Kamala Harris leading the charge, Democrats have rallied en masse around labeling former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, as "weird" — a move that's appeared to have sent the Republican candidate and his allies scrambling for an adroit counter.

From Salon

As a businessman, he was adroit at personal branding years before Donald Trump, a visionary carmaker years before Elon Musk.

From Los Angeles Times

Beardsley attributes this to Yu’s adroit political skills and infectious enthusiasm, as well as the Chinese government’s powerful incentive to appear to be addressing the problem of urban flooding, which has grown alarmingly in recent years.

From Seattle Times

Since taking office in early January, the boyish-looking Mr. Attal has waded into the countryside, far from his familiar haunts in the chic quarters of Paris, muddied his dress shoes, propped his notes on a choreographed bale of hay, and calmed protesting farmers through adroit negotiation leavened by multiple concessions.

From New York Times

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

Related Words

• adept
• artful
• deft
• masterful
• nimble
• proficient
• skillful