Meaning & use
emotionally adept
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Good at noticing, understanding and managing feelings, both your own and other people's.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb or before a noun: she is emotionally adept; an emotionally adept manager.
Patterns
- be emotionally adept
- be emotionally adept at something
- be emotionally adept at doing something
She is emotionally adept, so colleagues often go to her when a project turns stressful.
An emotionally adept teacher notices when a quiet student is struggling and adjusts the lesson.
He became more emotionally adept at reading his team's mood after years of managing people.
adjectivenot comparable
Skilled at handling emotional situations calmly and in a way that helps other people.
Grammar: Often followed by 'at' plus a noun or -ing form: adept at calming people down.
Patterns
- emotionally adept at something
- emotionally adept at doing something
The nurse was emotionally adept at calming anxious patients before surgery.
Being emotionally adept at difficult conversations takes practice, not just good intentions.
Common combinations
- emotionally adept at
- She is emotionally adept at soothing angry customers.
- highly emotionally adept
- Highly emotionally adept leaders tend to keep their teams together in a crisis.
- become emotionally adept
- With training, new managers can become emotionally adept at giving feedback.
- emotionally adept handling of
- His emotionally adept handling of the complaint saved the contract.
- emotionally adept person
- An emotionally adept person can disagree without making it personal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- emotionally intelligent
- The more common and more formal term, often used in psychology and business; it stresses a general ability, while 'emotionally adept' stresses practical skill in handling feelings.
- sensitive
- Suggests you notice feelings easily, but not necessarily that you manage them well; 'emotionally adept' adds the idea of handling situations skillfully.
- perceptive
- Focuses on noticing things quickly in general; use 'emotionally adept' when the skill is specifically about feelings.
- empathetic
- Means you feel and understand others' emotions; 'emotionally adept' is broader and includes managing your own reactions.
Opposites
Word family
- emotional adjective
- Relating to feelings, or showing strong feelings.
- emotionally adverb
- In a way that relates to feelings: emotionally difficult.
- emotion noun
- A feeling such as anger, fear or joy.
- adeptness noun
- Skill at doing something.
- adeptly adverb
- In a skillful way.
Commonly confused: emotionally adept or emotionally intelligent? emotionally adept or adapt?
emotionally adept vs emotionally intelligent
A near-synonym, but 'emotionally intelligent' is a set term from psychology and is the safer choice in academic writing; 'emotionally adept' is looser and more descriptive.
emotionally adept vs adapt
'Adept' means skillful, while 'adapt' means to change to fit a new situation. They sound similar, so check the spelling: an adept worker adapts quickly.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'emotionally adept' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Adept' is followed by 'at' plus a noun or -ing form, and as an adjective it needs a linking verb such as 'is'. 'Adept to' and 'adept for' are not the usual patterns, and option 4 is missing the verb 'is'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “emotionally adept”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.