Meaning & use

deft

adjective·Academic

Neatly skillful and quick in one's movements or actions.

See it in a sentence

With a few deft movements, the surgeon closed the incision in under a minute.

Her deft handling of the tense negotiation impressed everyone in the room.

A note on using this word

Deft often describes physical dexterity, but it also works well for skillful handling of a delicate social situation.

Words with a similar meaning

skillfuladroit

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

clumsy

Make it your own

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