Dexterous - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

dex·ter·ous

Audio Help [dek-struh

s, -ster-uh

s] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	skillful or adroit in the use of the hands or body.

2.	having mental adroitness or skill; clever.

3.	done with skill or adroitness.

4.	right-handed.

Also, dextrous.

[Origin: 1595–1605; < L dexter right-hand, skillful + -ous

]

—Related forms

dex·ter·ous·ly, adverb

dex·ter·ous·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. deft, nimble, handy. 1, 2. expert, apt, able, quick. Dexterous, adroit, deft, skillful, handy all imply facility and ease in performance. Dexterous and adroit both referred originally to right-handedness. Dexterous is still most often used to refer to manual or physical ability but can also refer to mental or social agility: a dexterous wood carver; dexterous management of a potentially embarrassing situation. Adroit implies cleverness or mental acuity, occasionally complex physical skill: an adroit politician; an adroit juggler. Deft suggests a light and assured touch, either physical or mental: deft manipulation of the sensitive controls, of public opinion. Skillful is the most general of these synonyms and can be substituted in most contexts for any of the foregoing, sacrificing only the overtones or connotations of each: a skillful performer. Handy applies mainly to physical skill, often achieved without formal training: handy with tools.

—Antonyms 1. clumsy. 2. inept. 3. awkward.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Dexterous

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dex·ter·ous Audio Help (děk'stər-əs, -strəs) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Skillful in the use of the hands.
Having mental skill or adroitness.
Done with dexterity.

[From Latin dexter, skillful; see dexter.]

dex'ter·ous·ly adv., dex'ter·ous·ness n.

Synonyms: These adjectives refer to skill and ease in performance. Dexterous implies physical or mental agility: dexterous fingers.
Deft suggests quickness, sureness, neatness, and lightness of touch: deft strokes; a deft turn of phrase.
Adroit implies ease and natural skill, especially in challenging situations: an adroit skier; an adroit negotiator.
Handy suggests a more modest aptitude, principally in manual work: handy with tools.
Nimble stresses quickness and lightness in physical or mental performance: nimble feet; nimble wits.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

dexterous
adjective
skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands; "a deft waiter"; "deft fingers massaged her face"; "dexterous of hand and inventive of mind" [syn: deft]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dexterous

Dex"ter\, a. [L.,; akin to Gr. ?, ?, Skr. dakshi?a (cf. daksh to be strong, suit); Goth. taihswa, OHG. zeso. Cf. Dexterous.]

1. Pertaining to, or situated on, the right hand; right, as opposed to sinister, or left.

On sounding wings a dexter eagle flew. --Pope.

2. (Her.) On the right-hand side of a shield, i. e., towards the right hand of its wearer. To a spectator in front, as in a pictorial representation, this would be the left side.

Dexter chief, or Dexter point (Her.), a point in the dexter upper corner of the shield, being in the dexter extremity of the chief, as A in the cut.

Dexter base, a point in the dexter lower part or base of the shield, as B in the cut.

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