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View synonyms for apt

apt

1

[ apt ]

adjective

  1. too apt to slander others.

    Synonyms: liable

  2. Am I apt to find him at home?

  3. unusually intelligent; able to learn quickly and easily:

    an apt pupil.

    Synonyms: skillful, dexterous, adroit, handy, adaptable, bright, clever

  4. suited to the purpose or occasion; appropriate:

    an apt metaphor; a few apt remarks on world peace.

    Synonyms: felicitous, germane, meet, fitting

  5. Archaic. prepared; ready; willing.


apt.

2

abbreviation for

, plural apts.

apt

1

/ æpt /

adjective

  1. suitable for the circumstance or purpose; appropriate
  2. postpositive; foll by an infinitive having a tendency (to behave as specified)
  3. having the ability to learn and understand easily; clever (esp in the phrase an apt pupil )


apt.

2

abbreviation for

  1. apartment

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Usage Note

Some usage guides insist that apt followed by an infinitive can or should be used to mean only “inclined, disposed”: He is apt to ignore matters he regards as unimportant. In fact, apt is standard in all varieties of speech and writing as a synonym for likely in contexts that suggest probability without any implication of a natural disposition toward: Hostilities are apt to break out if the confrontation is not soon resolved. She is apt to arrive almost any time now. liable, likely.

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Derived Forms

  • ˈaptness, noun
  • ˈaptly, adverb

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Other Words From

  • apt·ly adverb
  • apt·ness noun
  • o·ver·apt adjective
  • o·ver·apt·ness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of apt1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin aptus “fastened, fitted, fitting, appropriate,” equivalent to ap(ere) “fasten, attach” + -tus past participle suffix

Origin of apt2

First recorded in 1900–05

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Word History and Origins

Origin of apt1

C14: from Latin aptus fitting, suitable, from apere to fasten

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Synonym Study

Apt, pertinent, relevant all refer to something suitable or fitting. Apt means to the point and particularly appropriate: an apt comment. Pertinent means pertaining to the matter in hand: a pertinent remark. Relevant means directly related to and important to the subject: a relevant opinion.

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