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adroit - 4 dictionary results

a⋅droit

  [uh-droit]
Use adroit in a Sentence
–adjective
1. expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body.
2. cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious: an adroit debater.
Origin:
1645–55; < F, OF: elegant, skillful, equiv. to a- a- 5 + droit, dreit straight, just, correct < L dīrēctus; see direct

Related forms:
a⋅droit⋅ly, adverb
a⋅droit⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. skillful, clever; deft, apt, adept. 1, 2. See dexterous.

Antonyms:
1. clumsy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To adroit
a·droit   (ə-droit')   
adj.  
  1. Dexterous; deft.
  2. Skillful and adept under pressing conditions. See Synonyms at dexterous.

[French, from à droit : à, to (from Latin ad; see ad-) + droit, right (from Latin dīrēctus; see direct).]
a·droit'ly adv., a·droit'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Adroit

A*droit"\, a. [F. adroit; [`a] (L. ad) = droit straight, right, fr. L. directus, p. p. of dirigere. See Direct.] Dexterous in the use of the hands or in the exercise of the mental faculties; exhibiting skill and readiness in avoiding danger or escaping difficulty; ready in invention or execution; -- applied to persons and to acts; as, an adroit mechanic, an adroit reply. "Adroit in the application of the telescope and quadrant." --Horsley. "He was adroit in intrigue." --Macaulay.

Syn: Dexterous; skillful; expert; ready; clever; deft; ingenious; cunning; ready-witted.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : adroit
Spanish: diestro, hábil,
German: gewandt,
Japanese: 器用な
More Translations »

adroit 
1652, "dexterous," originally "rightly," from Fr. phrase à droit "according to right," from O.Fr. à "to" + droit "right," from L.L. directum "right, justice," acc. of L. directus "straight" (see direct).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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