skillful

adjective

skill·ful ˈskil-fəl

: possessed of or displaying skill : expert

a skillful chef

: accomplished with skill

a skillful treatment

skillfully

ˈskil-fə-lē

adverb

skillfulness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for skillful

proficient, adept, skilled, skillful, expert mean having great knowledge and experience in a trade or profession.

proficient implies a thorough competence derived from training and practice.

proficient in translating foreign languages

adept implies special aptitude as well as proficiency.

adept at doing long division

skilled stresses mastery of technique.

a skilled surgeon

skillful implies individual dexterity in execution or performance.

skillful drivers

expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill.

expert in the evaluation of wines

Example Sentences

He is skillful at diplomacy. an artist skillful in the use of color the skillful manner in which the doctor and nurses treated the patient These issues require skillful handling.

Recent Examples on the Web Martinez, Cedillo, De León and Herrera have been as skillful as any at building and maintaining these Black-brown coalitions, which made the racist tape all the more shocking.

Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2022 Backpacks with prestigious college logos — like Alabama and Ohio State — line the field, and the boys colliding with one another are bigger, more skillful, than most players their age.

Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 25 Aug. 2022 Thousands of admirers of Jaguarina went out to see the great swordswoman measure blades with her skillful antagonist while the stalwart Captain Wiedermann, of many battles, attracted a legion of representatives of the far-off Teutonic fatherland....

San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022 Watch this indoor skydiver defy gravity in a skillful routine.

Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 26 Oct. 2022 Among the dead, The Late Late Show host Tom Snyder, a longtime client, liked to refer to him as The Wolf, in reference to the skillful cleaner of messes played by Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction.

Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2022 Abstract painting — the High Art language of establishment power — gives up sober rigor for skillful, exuberant play.

Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2022 The 25-year-old Pratt graduate, who is based in Brooklyn, dishes out handmade pieces that seamlessly blend nostalgia, internet culture, and skillful design and production.

André-naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2022 In an effort to pay it forward, the Mexican producer/songwriter brought his skillful experience to the Songwriter’s Academy, touching on lyrics, production and references to the great artists before his time.

James Dinh, Billboard, 26 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skillful.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.