Skill
What it means
Developed ability gained through learning or practice.
Reach for it when naming learned ability to perform a task well through knowledge, practice, and judgment
Years of practice gave the carpenter remarkable skill.
Words to choose between 9
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional |
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| formal |
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playful
Fits when an informal natural ease fits the tone
Careful Knack can trivialize trained expertise.
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everyday
ability
Fits when capacity to do something is the broad idea
Careful Ability may be innate or untrained.
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warm
Fits when practiced making and tradition are central
Careful Craft is a field or practice, not every individual skill.
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warm
Fits when natural aptitude deserves emphasis
Careful Talent can undervalue practice.
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professional
competence
Fits when meeting the required standard is enough
Careful Competence is measured and less admiring.
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professional
Fits when physical or mental deftness is precise
Careful Dexterity is narrower than broad professional skill.
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professional
Fits when deep specialized knowledge and performance are proven
Careful Expertise is stronger than ordinary skill.
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professional
Fits when a measured level of competent performance matters
Careful Proficiency is formal and may not imply judgment.
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formal
Fits when exceptional command is established
Careful Mastery is much stronger and requires evidence.
Opposites 3
- inability
- ineptitude
- incompetence
Common phrases 3
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practical skill
The course teaches practical skill through supervised repair.
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develop a skill
Daily practice helped each apprentice develop a skill safely.
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communication skill
Listening is a communication skill, not merely a polite attitude.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated