talent

[ tal-uhnt ]

noun

1. a special natural ability or aptitude:

   a talent for drawing.

   Synonyms: genius, gift, capability

2. a capacity for achievement or success; ability:

   young men of talent.

3. a talented person:

   The cast includes many of the theater's major talents.

4. a group of persons with special ability:

   an exhibition of watercolors by the local talent.

5. Movies and Television. professional actors collectively, especially star performers.
6. a power of mind or body considered as given to a person for use and improvement: so called from the parable in Matthew 25:14–30.
7. any of various ancient units of weight, as a unit of Palestine and Syria equal to 3000 shekels, or a unit of Greece equal to 6000 drachmas.
8. any of various ancient Hebrew or Attic monetary units equal in value to that of a talent weight of gold, silver, or other metal.
9. Obsolete. inclination or disposition.

talent

/ ˈtælənt /

noun

1. innate ability, aptitude, or faculty, esp when unspecified; above average ability

   a talent for cooking

   a child with talent

2. a person or persons possessing such ability
3. any of various ancient units of weight and money
4. informal.
   members of the opposite sex collectively, esp those living in a particular place

   the local talent

5. an obsolete word for inclination

Derived Forms

• ˈtalented, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of talent¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English talente, from Latin talenta, plural of talentum, from Greek tálanton “balance, weight, monetary unit”

Word History and Origins

Origin of talent¹

Old English talente, from Latin talenta, pl of talentum sum of money, from Greek talanton unit of money or weight; in Medieval Latin the sense was extended to ability through the influence of the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30)

Synonym Study

See ability.

Example Sentences

“Craig’s shown he has the talent and the range to cover all that we do here at ‘Today,’ ” Libby Leist, senior vice president of “Today,” said Thursday in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

The grandson of Hollywood mogul Lew Wasserman and owner of a prestigious talent agency, he is seen as critical to wooing benefactors and corporate sponsors.

From Los Angeles Times

If the majority of my country is fine with an America-attacking vulgar racist, whose only true talent is the ability to somehow always go lower, I find it terribly sad and wildly dangerous.

From Salon

However, in an upcoming Trump presidency, the new FTC elect will likely be from the same talent pool as an axe-throwing Fox News host or even Elon Musk himself.

From Slate

Asked about the incident for the latest issue of Vanity Fair, Sweeney said: "It’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down, especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard - hoping to achieve whatever dreams that they may have - and then trying to bash and discredit any work that they’ve done."

From BBC

Related Words

• art
• capability
• capacity
• expertise
• flair
• genius
• gift
• knack
• know-how
• power
• savvy
• skill
• thing