dexterous
English
Alternative forms
- dextrous (British)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdɛkstɹəs/
- Rhymes: -ɛkstɹəs
Adjective
dexterous (comparative more dexterous, superlative most dexterous)
- Skillful with one's hands.
- Skillful in some specific thing.
- 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
- We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me.
- 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
- Agile; flexible; able to move fluidly and gracefully.
- (figuratively, archaic) Skilled at argumentation; mentally skillful.
- 1775, speech by Edmund Burke
- […] the study [of law] renders men acute, inquisitive, dexterous, prompt in attack, ready in defense […]
- 1775, speech by Edmund Burke
Related terms
Translations
skillful with one's hands
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skillful in some specific thing
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agile; flexible
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Further reading
- dexterous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- dexterous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- dexterous at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
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