Adept
What it means
Very skillful at carrying out a particular kind of work.
Reach for it when praising practiced ease in a named activity
Inez is adept at turning scattered comments into a clear decision.
Words to choose between 8
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
-
everyday
practiced
Fits when repetition and experience explain the smooth performance
Careful A practiced routine may be familiar without being especially skillful.
-
everyday
Fits when a straightforward and widely understood compliment is best
Careful Skilled lacks the suggestion of unusual ease carried by adept.
-
professional
Fits when deep specialist authority is established
Careful Adept performance does not automatically make someone an authority who advises others.
-
professional
Fits when measurable command of a tool or technique is intended
Careful It is cooler and more technical than praise for graceful handling.
-
formal
Fits when a substantial record of developed work matters alongside skill
Careful Early but striking facility can be adept before it is accomplished.
-
formal
Fits when commanding execution in one performance earns strong praise
Careful Use adept for consistently high ability without claiming mastery.
-
literary
Fits when clever skill in handling a delicate problem is the point
Careful The formality can distract in a plain resume line.
-
literary
Fits when quick, neat execution or tact deserves emphasis
Careful For broad knowledge rather than a light touch, adept fits better.
Opposites 3
- inept
- unskilled
- clumsy
Common phrases 3
-
adept at solving
Ravi is adept at solving disputes before positions harden.
-
socially adept
The socially adept facilitator noticed who had not yet spoken.
-
technically adept
A technically adept editor repaired the damaged audio without flattening it.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: DroEsperanto, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, public domain Updated