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dexterous

dex·ter·ous
D d

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [dek-struh s, -ster-uh s]
    • /ˈdɛk strəs, -stər əs/
    • /dekˈster.ə.ti/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [dek-struh s, -ster-uh s]
    • /ˈdɛk strəs, -stər əs/

Definitions of dexterous word

  • adjective dexterous Someone who is dexterous is very skilful and clever with their hands. 3
  • adjective dexterous possessing or done with dexterity 3
  • adjective dexterous having or showing skill in the use of the hands or body 3
  • adjective dexterous having or showing mental skill 3
  • adjective dexterous skillful or adroit in the use of the hands or body. 1
  • adjective dexterous having mental adroitness or skill; clever. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of dexterous

First appearance:

before 1595
One of the 38% oldest English words
1595-1605; < Latin dexter right-hand, skillful + -ous

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Dexterous

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

dexterous popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 70% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

dexterous usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for dexterous

adj dexterous

  • able — Someone who is able is very clever or very good at doing something.
  • active — Someone who is active moves around a lot or does a lot of things.
  • acute — An acute accent is a symbol that is placed over vowels in some languages in order to indicate how that vowel is pronounced or over one letter in a word to indicate where it is stressed. You refer to a letter with this accent as, for example, e acute. For example, there is an acute accent over the letter 'e' in the French word 'café'.
  • adept — Someone who is adept at something can do it skilfully.
  • adroit — Someone who is adroit is quick and skilful in their thoughts, behaviour, or actions.

adjective dexterous

  • proficient — well-advanced or competent in any art, science, or subject; skilled: a proficient swimmer.
  • quick-witted — having a nimble, alert mind.
  • sharp — having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well-adapted for cutting or piercing: a sharp knife.
  • resourceful — able to deal skillfully and promptly with new situations, difficulties, etc.
  • efficient — (esp. of a system or machine) Achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense.

Antonyms for dexterous

adj dexterous

  • clumsy — A clumsy person moves or handles things in a careless, awkward way, often so that things are knocked over or broken.
  • inexpert — not expert; unskilled.
  • unable — lacking the necessary power, competence, etc., to accomplish some specified act: He was unable to swim.
  • unskilled — of or relating to workers who lack technical training or skill.
  • awkward — An awkward situation is embarrassing and difficult to deal with.

Top questions with dexterous

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See also

Matching words

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