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  1. adept love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Very skilled. See Synonyms at proficient.
  2. n. A highly skilled person; an expert: "The adepts in Washington mean to give rather than to take” ( Lewis H. Lapham).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Well skilled; completely versed or acquainted.
  2. n. One who has attained proficiency; one fully skilled in anything; a proficient or master; specifically, in former times, a proficient in alchemy or magic; a master of occult science, or one who professed to have discovered “the great secret” (namely, of transmuting base metal into gold).
  3. n. Synonyms Adept, Expert. An adept is one who possesses natural as well as acquired aptitude or skill in anything: as, an adept in the art of governing; an adept in diplomacy, lying, cajolery, whist-playing, etc. An expert, on the other hand, is one whose skill and proficiency are more conspicuously the result of practice or experience, or of an intimate acquaintance with a subject. The term is mostly limited to one possessing special skill or knowledge in some branch, and regarded as an authority on it: as, an expert in alienism, chemistry, penmanship, etc.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. Well skilled; completely versed; thoroughly proficient
  2. n. One fully skilled or well versed in anything; a proficient; as, adepts in philosophy.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. One fully skilled or well versed in anything; a proficient.
  2. adj. Well skilled; completely versed; thoroughly proficient.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
  2. n. someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

Etymologies

  1. From French adepte, from Latin adeptus ("who has achieved"), the past participle of adipisci ("to attain"). (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin adeptus, past participle of adipīscī, to attain : ad-, ad- + apīscī, to grasp. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “WORDS ACCENTED ON THE LAST SYLLABLE: address _address'_ adept _adept'_ adult _adult'_ ally _ally'_ commandant _commandänt '(ä as in arm) _ contour _contour'_ dessert _dessert'_ dilate _dilate'_ excise _eksiz'_ finance _finance'_ grimace _grimace'_ importune _importune'_ occult _occult'_ pretence _pretence'_ research _research'_ robust _robust'_ romance _romance'_ tirade _tirade'_”

    Practical Grammar and Composition

  • “T'Lar, the most learned of them all, had recently and without comment ceased to use the title "adept.”

    Simon & Schuster: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK

  • “Mr. Williams was known as an adept improviser who effortlessly switched between classical, jazz and pop styles.”

    The Wall Street Journal: Roger Williams, 'Pianist to Presidents,' Dies at 87

  • “He/she probably meant to use the word adept having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude.”

    From On High

  • “Williams was known as an adept improviser who effortlessly switched between classical, jazz and pop styles.”

    StarTribune.com rss feed

  • “I think a little friendly guide to the new system might help, for us oldsters who are not what you could call adept users.”

    Hillary's Talking Points: Hillary And Obama Presidencies Would Both "Change History"

  • “The other two chiefs are a Negro and a Hindoo; the adept is a Malay.”

    The Wandering Jew — Volume 02

  • “If you depend on that and the guy is any kind of adept, you are getting cut, and maybe fatally.”

    Knives Redux

  • “Other main characters are Queen Jehanne, former top Night Court "adept" ie former top courtesan of Terre Ange and second wife of King Daniel Courcel, her lover and dabbler in magical arts Raphael de Mereliot, elderly Ch'in wizard Lo Feng and his factotum disciple and martial arts expert Bao who are honored guests of the Angeline court, as well as quite a few others that you will encounter in the fullness of time.”

    Archive 2009-06-01

  • “And so I over the years have become much more--I don't want to use the word "adept" because that's not really--self-identified and much more persistent about my own perceptions than I have been about what other people's perceptions are.”

    Archive 2006-08-01

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synonyms (5)

Words with the same meaning

  1. proficient
  1. skilful
  1. tactful
  1. mastery
  1. skillful

equivalents (1)

Other words for ‘adept’

  1. skilled

antonyms (1)

Words with the opposite meaning

  1. inept

same context (20)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. proficient
  2. skilled
  3. talented
  4. competent
  1. knowledgeable
  2. apt
  3. responsive
  4. agile
  1. helpful
  2. dexterous
  3. astute
  4. versatile
  1. adroit
  2. good-looking
  3. sophisticated
  4. soft
  1. sensitive
  2. perceptive
  3. fertile
  4. convince

rhymes (15)

Words with the same terminal sound

  1. accept
  2. crept
  3. except
  1. inept
  2. intercept
  3. kept
  1. leaped
  2. leapt
  3. overslept
  1. prepped
  2. sept
  3. slept
  1. stepped
  2. swept
  3. wept

reverse dictionary (34)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. adept
  2. master
  3. lineman
  4. dabster
  5. mahatma
  6. oner
  1. phrasemonger
  2. Ezzedeen
  3. au fait
  4. esoterist
  5. inventive
  6. unlettered
  1. second-story man
  2. ventriloquist
  3. adeptness
  4. critic
  5. adeptist
  6. adeptship
  1. untrained
  2. adroit
  3. quick-change
  4. artist
  5. better
  6. fiend
  1. proficient
  2. operator
  3. spin
  4. cool
  5. quichuan
  6. Yuman
  1. manager
  2. skilful
  3. skilled
  4. wizard

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‘adept’ has been looked up 4602 times, loved by 9 people, added to 57 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 8.