adept 1 of 2

Definition of adeptnext

adept

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word adept distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of adept are expert, proficient, skilled, and skillful. While all these words mean "having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession," adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

When is it sensible to use expert instead of adept?

While in some cases nearly identical to adept, expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

When is proficient a more appropriate choice than adept?

In some situations, the words proficient and adept are roughly equivalent. However, proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

In what contexts can skilled take the place of adept?

The words skilled and adept can be used in similar contexts, but skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

When might skillful be a better fit than adept?

The meanings of skillful and adept largely overlap; however, skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

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 adept
Adjective
My body, genetically adept at survival, fought to keep me alive. Leila Mottley, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026 It’s based on the dramatic and emotionally wrenching personal life of Southern Gothic author Carson McCullers, a physically frail but powerful novelist, adept at portraying the loneliness and isolation of misfits and outcasts. Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
But if the destination is appealing and the driver adept, the journey is bound to be worth taking. Judy Berman, Time, 27 Oct. 2025 He was investigated by the SS on the orders of Heinrich Himmler but convinced his investigators, all adepts of Deutsche Physik, that he was engaged in worthwhile teaching and research. Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for adept
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adept
Adjective
  • This episode is a showcase for Aleida’s unapologetic, highly skilled direct communications style.
    Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 May 2026
  • Effective programs have shown a significant impact in building engineering pipelines, resulting in high numbers of full-time, highly skilled hires.
    Mike Kelleher, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • But as online marketplaces widen their delivery network across the country and social media marketing levels the playing field, direct-to-consumer, or D2C, brands are on the rise in India, according to experts.
    Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 7 May 2026
  • The head count at the consolidated headquarters went from around five hundred to just sixteen, eliminating many policy experts who had assisted field offices with difficult cases.
    E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Adjective
  • This country has produced leaders who understood that the office was never about them, that service means something, and that the people watching from home deserve better than a system that rewards the skillful exit over the honest reckoning.
    Nick Weston, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 May 2026
  • Miami coach Mario Cristobal is known for his skillful recruiting of top prospects.
    Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This new iteration was partly handled by Room40 label boss Lawrence English, who reconstructed the original master tapes and blended them with recent performances by Lockwood and Vanessa Tomlinson, who plays the gong.
    Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Leaders of the gardens have been undergoing a master planning effort for more than a year in an effort to accommodate visitation of the botanical garden doubling to more than 300,000 people annually over the past decade.
    Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Yet, despite the fact that only 30% of CPS students in grades three through eight meet proficiency standards in reading and only 18% are proficient in math, CTU wants kids at a May Day political rally.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
  • In 2024, only 25% of eighth graders were proficient in math and 28% of students were proficient in reading.
    Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • Detailed look at 1814 British attack on our nation’s capital, with Denver Brunsman, associate professor of history at George Washington University, lecturer at Mount Vernon, and scholar of the American revolution and early American republic.
    Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 6 May 2026
  • Whatever scholars might assume from the etymology, Morrison said the word’s origins reveal little about the Pharisees besides their existence as a distinct group.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
Adjective
  • In the hands of an experienced user, a midrange disc might even function well as the tee-off throw.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
  • The measure allows retired educators to go back to the classroom while continuing to receive their pension benefits — a move aimed at addressing staffing needs and keeping experienced teachers in schools.
    La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 6 May 2026
Noun
  • To call a musician a virtuoso can be double-edged.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
  • In positioning Mollestad as an exploratory team player, its six tracks reveal her chops well beyond that of a showboating virtuoso.
    Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Adept.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adept. Accessed 8 May. 2026.

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