3 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

adroit

adjective

1: skillful (or showing skill) in adapting means to ends; "cool prudence and sensitive selfishness along with quick perception of what is possible--these distinguish an adroit politician"; "came up with a clever story"; "an ingenious press agent"; "an ingenious scheme" [syn: {clever}, {ingenious}]

2: 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" [ant: {maladroit}]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Adroit \A*droit"\, adjective [F. adroit; ['a] (L. ad) = droit straight, right, fr. L. directus, p. p. of dirigere. See {Direct}.] Dexterous in the use of the hands or in the exercise of the mental faculties; exhibiting skill and readiness in avoiding danger or escaping difficulty; ready in invention or execution; -- applied to persons and to acts; as, an adroit mechanic, an adroit reply. ''Adroit in the application of the telescope and quadrant.'' --Horsley. ''He was adroit in intrigue.'' --Macaulay.

Syn: Dexterous; skillful; expert; ready; clever; deft; ingenious; cunning; ready-witted.

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

90 Moby Thesaurus words for "adroit": Daedalian, adept, adroitness, apt, artful, artistic, astute, authoritative, brainy, bravura, bright, brilliant, canny, clean, clever, coordinated, crack, crackerjack, craft, cunning, cute, daedal, deft, deftness, dexterity, dexterous, dexterousness, dextrous, diplomatic, excellent, expert, expertise, fancy, gifted, good, goodish, graceful, handy, ingenious, intelligent, keen, keen-witted, know-how, magisterial, masterful, masterly, neat, neat-handed, nimble, nimble-witted, no dumbbell, no mean, not born yesterday, perspicacious, politic, pretty, professional, proficient, prowess, quick, quick-thinking, quick-witted, quite some, readiness, ready, resourceful, scintillating, sharp, sharp-witted, shrewd, skill, skillful, sleight, slick, slim, sly, smart, some, statesmanlike, steel-trap, stylish, subtle, tactful, talented, the compleat, the complete, virtuoso, well-done, wicked, workmanlike

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