T-shape

noun

A set of knowledge or skills that are both broad and deep.

Meanings

nounT-shape (plural T-shapes)

plural T-shapes

  1. informalA set of knowledge or skills that are both broad and deep.

    ... An explanation of the T-shape can help students to see the connection between the “broad” that general education courses offer and the “deep” that the vocational part of their program develop.

    2018 August 23, Yassi Moghaddam, Haluk Demirkan, Jim Spohrer, T-Shaped Professionals: Adaptive Innovators, Business Expert Press, →ISBN
    2 more examples

    The T-shape stands for people who are broad (horizontal) and deep (vertical). T-shaped people are interested in ... Consequently, organizations like to hire people who encompass these broad and deep T-shaped skills and experiences.

    2014 December 2, Ryszard Klempous, Jan Nikodem, Innovative Technologies in Management and Science, Springer, →ISBN, page 7

    T-shape: These roles have broad and deep competencies and are in the middle of the chain, for example, information architect, infrastructure architect, business architect or solution architect. Governance: These roles on the top of[…]

    2016 November 30, Sameer Paradkar, Cracking the IT Architect Interview, Packt Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 18
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see T, shape.

Origin

Probably from T-shaped, the figurative sense.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

T-shape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/T-shape

MLA

“T-shape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/T-shape. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “T-shape,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/T-shape.

Source: T-shape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.