knack

noun

ˈnak 

1

: a special ready capacity that is hard to analyze or teach

2

a

: a clever trick or stratagem

b

: a clever way of doing something

3

archaic : an ingenious device

broadly : toy, knickknack

Synonyms

• artifice
• device
• dodge
• fetch
• flimflam
• gambit
• gimmick
• jig
• juggle
• play
• ploy
• ruse
• scheme
• shenanigan
• sleight
• stratagem
• trick
• wile

Choose the Right Synonym for knack

gift, faculty, aptitude, bent, talent, genius, knack mean a special ability for doing something.

gift often implies special favor by God or nature.

the gift of singing beautifully

faculty applies to an innate or less often acquired ability for a particular accomplishment or function.

a faculty for remembering names

aptitude implies a natural liking for some activity and the likelihood of success in it.

a mechanical aptitude

bent is nearly equal to aptitude but it stresses inclination perhaps more than specific ability.

a family with an artistic bent

talent suggests a marked natural ability that needs to be developed.

has enough talent to succeed

genius suggests impressive inborn creative ability.

has no great genius for poetry

knack implies a comparatively minor but special ability making for ease and dexterity in performance.

the knack of getting along

Examples of knack in a Sentence

She has a knack for telling interesting stories.

The jazz musician has an incredible knack for improvisation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Like Floyd, Mangione may also have a knack for the myth-building flourish. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024

These choices are testament to Osei’s uncanny knack for spotting new rising stars— Jellyfish and Lobster is now in consideration for an Oscar and the film is available to view in the Academy screening room. —Nina-Sophia Miralles, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

The actress turned out to have a knack for creating incredibly fun Instagrams, putting her in a pantheon of stars who are just as fun to watch on the super-small screen, that includes Reese Witherspoon, Chrissy Teigen and Gwyneth Paltrow. —Alex Apatoff, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024

Inc 5000: For all the noise about big-name companies departing, California’s economic secret sauce is its entrepreneurs’ knack for creating new ventures. —Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English knak

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Kids Definition

knack

noun

ˈnak 

1

: a clever or skillful way of doing something : trick

2

: a natural ability : talent

has a knack for making friends