adroit

adjective

ə-ˈdrȯit How to pronounce adroit (audio)
Definition of adroitnext
as in virtuoso
accomplished with trained ability with an adroit flick of the wrist, flipped the omelet into the air and landed it squarely back in the pan

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word adroit different from other adjectives like it?

The words deft and dexterous are common synonyms of adroit. While all three words mean "ready and skilled in physical movement," adroit implies dexterity but usually also stresses resourcefulness or artfulness or inventiveness.

the magician's adroit response to the failure of her prop won applause

When might deft be a better fit than adroit?

Although the words deft and adroit have much in common, deft emphasizes lightness, neatness, and sureness of touch or handling.

a surgeon's deft manipulation of the scalpel

In what contexts can dexterous take the place of adroit?

The words dexterous and adroit can be used in similar contexts, but dexterous implies expertness with consequent facility and quickness in manipulation.

unrolled the sleeping bag with a dexterous toss

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of adroit As adroit Mercury starts reversing through your contemplative 12th house, its retrograde invites you to press pause on the cosmic movie in favor of reviewing what’s already happened. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026 Today, especially for digitally adroit customers, opening a new account with a neobank offering a better APR is seamless. — Nigel Morris, Forbes.com, 7 May 2026 As Powell — one of Capitol Hill’s most adroit navigators — made his rounds, Republicans on both sides of the Capitol panned the investigation. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 13 Jan. 2026 Girolmo knows exactly what the show needs, and there is a musically adroit and highly personable cast in the not-entirely-Irish persons of Emily Goldberg, the singer-musician Michael Mahler, the fine tenor Luke Nowakowski and Leah Morrow. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for adroit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adroit
  1. virtuoso
  2. skillful
  3. masterful
  4. expert
  5. delicate
  6. dexterous
  7. artistic
  8. deft
Adjective
  • Thanks to more than 200 years of intense and virtuoso scientific work, what were once valid or at least plausible concerns and objections to vaccines have been overcome.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • A lot of the movie feels like a virtuoso chase sequence, people barreling down the road, guns blazing.
    — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
Definition of virtuoso
Adjective
  • There’s likely to be grasping, resisting, skillful and futile efforts to swim and worry about what’s up ahead.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • One of the few calls of the night was from Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, ready to get his hands on the skillful point guard.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026
Definition of skillful
Adjective
  • Djokovic put in a masterful performance against a player who had gone in as many people’s favorite after demolishing the champion of two years earlier, Andy Murray, in the semifinals.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • That family history, including people technically unrelated to him, had contributed to this designer’s rather masterful ability to design and tailor.
    — Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of masterful
Adjective
  • For full daily and monthly horoscopes as well as expert readings, see our full Horoscopes experience.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Cottar also explains what made a CEO swap different from hiring an expert consultant.
    — Emese Maczko, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of expert
Adjective
  • The chips beneath were noticeably thin, delicate but sturdy enough to retain their crunch.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • The war remains in a delicate ceasefire while both sides attempt to broker a permanent peace deal.
    — Dan Mangan,Luke Fountain,Kevin Breuninger,Garrett Downs,Ashley Capoot,Justin Papp, CNBC, 2 July 2026
Definition of delicate
Adjective
  • But even opening on 1,500 screens, Harris’ brilliantly dexterous approach proved too much for the film’s marketers.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
  • Marco Wang, an analyst focusing on Chinese robotics for technology research firm Interact Analysis, said the technical readiness of dexterous robotics hands, for example, are among the lowest in hardware components.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Definition of dexterous
Adjective
  • Drawn to an artistic path, the NYC native attended the prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 2 July 2026
  • This year’s milestone edition furthers that legacy by pairing foundational film voices with the next generation of artistic troublemakers.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
Definition of artistic
Adjective
  • Our hearts are left warmed by its deft exploration of humanity, patriarchy and the meaning of life.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • De Minaur is springy and quick; Mannarino is languid and deft, with his incredibly low string tension trampolining the ball through the court with deceptive power.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of deft

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adrift
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adroitly
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Cite this Entry

“Adroit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adroit. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of adroit for Spanish Speakers

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