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View synonyms for apt
apt
1[ apt ]
adjective
too apt to slander others.
Synonyms: liable
Am I apt to find him at home?
- unusually intelligent; able to learn quickly and easily:
an apt pupil.
Synonyms: skillful, dexterous, adroit, handy, adaptable, bright, clever
- suited to the purpose or occasion; appropriate:
an apt metaphor; a few apt remarks on world peace.
Synonyms: felicitous, germane, meet, fitting
- Archaic. prepared; ready; willing.
apt.
2abbreviation for
, plural apts.
apt
1/ æpt /
adjective
- suitable for the circumstance or purpose; appropriate
- postpositive; foll by an infinitive having a tendency (to behave as specified)
- having the ability to learn and understand easily; clever (esp in the phrase an apt pupil )
apt.
2abbreviation for
- 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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