deft
Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia.
deft
(dĕft)adj. deft·er, deft·est
Quick and skillful; adroit. See Synonyms at dexterous.
[Middle English dafte, defte, gentle, humble, well-mannered, from Old English dafte, meek.]
deft′ly adv.
deft′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
deft
(dɛft)adj
quick and neat in movement; nimble; dexterous
[C13 (in the sense: gentle): see daft]
ˈdeftly adv
ˈdeftness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
deft
(dɛft)adj. -er, -est.
skillful; nimble; facile.
[1175–1225; Middle English; variant of daft]
deft′ly, adv.
deft′ness, n.
syn: See dexterous.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Adj. | 1. | deft - skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands; "a deft waiter"; "deft fingers massaged her face"; "dexterous of hand and inventive of mind" adroit - quick or skillful or adept in action or thought; "an exceptionally adroit pianist"; "an adroit technician"; "his adroit replies to hecklers won him many followers"; "an adroit negotiator" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
deft
adjective skilful, able, expert, clever, neat, handy, adept, nimble, proficient, agile, adroit, dexterous Her movements were neat and deft.
awkward, clumsy, inept, bumbling, gauche, cack-handed (informal), maladroit, unskilful
awkward, clumsy, inept, bumbling, gauche, cack-handed (informal), maladroit, unskilful
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
deft
adjective2. Exhibiting or possessing skill and ease in performance:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
لَبِق، رَشيق
obratnýzručný
behændigsnild
leikinn
dexter
mikliaimiklusmitrumas
izveicīgsveikls
hünerlimaharetli
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
deft
(deft) adjective skilful, quick and neat. his deft handling of the situation.
ˈdeftly adverbˈdeftness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.