fluent

adjective

flu·​ent ˈflü-ənt 

1

a

: capable of flowing : fluid

powered, granular, or fluent materials

b

: capable of moving with ease and grace

the fluent body of a dancer

2

a

: capable of using a language easily and accurately

fluent in Spanish

a fluent writer

b

: effortlessly smooth and flowing

a fluent performance

spoke in fluent English

c

: having or showing mastery of a subject or skill

fluent in math

fluently adverb

Synonyms

• articulate
• eloquent
• silver-tongued
• well-spoken

Examples of fluent in a Sentence

a fluent speaker of Chinese

a very fluent speaker who always communicates his points well

Recent Examples on the Web

While there’s often an expectation that written Navajo translations will be easily understood by fluent speakers, this is not always the case. —Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024

On the one hand, generative AI has an amazing capability of interacting in a seemingly human-like fluent fashion. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Last month, the company introduced a feature called Audio Overview that turns these datasets into fluent, sometimes funny dialogue. —Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 4 Oct. 2024

Rocking Horse hired patient navigators fluent in Haitian Creole, one of the two official languages of Haiti. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin fluent-, fluens, present participle of fluere — more at fluid

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fluent

adjective

flu·​ent ˈflü-ənt 

1

: fluid entry 1 sense 1a

2

a

: able to speak easily and smoothly

fluent in Spanish

b

: done in a smooth easy way

fluently adverb

Etymology

from Latin fluent-, fluens, present participle of fluere "to flow" — related to fluid