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Synonyms

skill

1 American  
[skil] / skɪl /

noun

  1. the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well.

    Carpentry was one of his many skills.
    Synonyms:
    facility, proficiency
    Antonyms:
    inability

  2. competent excellence in performance; expertness; dexterity.

    The dancers performed with skill.
    Synonyms:
    cleverness, deftness

  3. a craft, trade, or job requiring manual dexterity or special training in which a person has competence and experience.

    the skill of cabinetmaking.

  4. Obsolete. understanding; discernment.

  5. Obsolete. reason; cause.

skill 2 American  
[skil] / skɪl /

verb (used without object)

Archaic.

  1. to matter.

  2. to help; avail.

skill British  
/ skɪl /

noun

  1. special ability in a task, sport, etc, esp ability acquired by training

  2. something, esp a trade or technique, requiring special training or manual proficiency

  3. obsolete understanding

"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

  • skill-less adjective

Etymology

Origin of skill1

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old Norse skil “distinction, difference”; cognate with Dutch geschil “difference, quarrel”; skill 2 ( def. )

Origin of skill2

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English skilien, from Old Norse skilja “to distinguish, divide,” akin to skil ( skill 1 ( def. ) ), Old English scylian “to separate,” Gothic skilja “butcher,” Lithuanian skélti “to split”

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.