Meanings
comparative more adept · comparative adepter · superlative most adept · superlative adeptest
- Well skilled; completely versed; thoroughly proficient.
Adept as she was, in all the arts of cunning and dissimulation, the girl Nancy could not wholly conceal the effect which the knowledge of the step she had taken, wrought upon her mind.
1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], Oliver Twist; […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC
plural adepts
- One fully skilled or well versed in anything; a proficient
adepts in philosophy
2 more examples
When he had achieved this task, he applied himself to the acquisition of stable language, in which he soon became such an adept, that he would perch outside my window and drive imaginary horses with great skill, all day.
1841, Charles Dickens, Barnaby RudgeOthers, alas, had an instinct towards artificiality in their very blood, and became adepts in counterfeiting at the first glimpse of it.
1894-95, Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivehaving or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
nounsomeone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
- Proto-Italic*ad
- Proto-Italic*ad-
- Latinad-
- Proto-Indo-European[Term?]
- Proto-Italic*apjō
- Latinapiō
- Latinapīscor
- Latinadipīscor
- Latinadeptu
- Frenchadepte
- Englishadept
Borrowed from French adepte, from Latin adeptus (“who has achieved”), the past participle of adipisci (“to attain”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian умел, вещ
- умел (umel)well skilled
- вещ (vešt)well skilled
- опитен (opiten)well skilled
- кадъ́рен (kadắren)well skilled
- специалист (specialist)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
- познавач (poznavač)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
Chinese Mandarin 擅長 /擅长, 熟練 /熟练
- 擅長 /擅长 (shàncháng)well skilled
- 熟練 /熟练 (shúliàn)well skilled
- 熟練的人 /熟练的人 (shúliàn de ren)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
- 專家 /专家 (zhuānjiā)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
Czech znalý, schopný
- znalýwell skilled
- schopnýwell skilled
- kvalifikovanýwell skilled
- expertone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- mistrone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Dutch bekwaam, expert
- bekwaamwell skilled
- expertone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- deskundigeone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Esperanto lerta, adepto
- lertawell skilled
- adeptoone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Finnish pätevä, asiantunteva
- päteväwell skilled
- asiantuntevawell skilled
- asiantuntijaone fully skilled or well versed in anything
French expert, expert
- expertwell skilled
- expertone fully skilled or well versed in anything
German geschickt, fähig
- geschicktwell skilled
- fähigwell skilled
- geübtwell skilled
- befähigtwell skilled
- erfahrenwell skilled
- versiertwell skilled
- bewandertwell skilled
- eingeweihtwell skilled
- kundigwell skilled
- gewandtwell skilled
- Meisterone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Hindi प्रवीण, कुशल
- प्रवीण (pravīṇ)well skilled
- कुशल (kuśal)well skilled
- निपुण (nipuṇ)well skilled
- प्रवीण (pravīṇ)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
- निपुण (nipuṇ)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
Hungarian szakértő, szakértő
- szakértőwell skilled
- szakértőone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- mestere valaminekone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Latin adeptus, adepta
- adeptusone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- adeptaone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Māori kaiaka, tautōhito
- kaiakawell skilled
- tautōhitoone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Norwegian adept
- adeptone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Polish biegły, ekspert
- biegływell skilled
- ekspertone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- ekspertkaone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- mistrzone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- mistrzynione fully skilled or well versed in anything
Portuguese adepto, adepto
- adeptowell skilled
- adeptoone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Russian зна́ющий, све́дущий
- зна́ющий (znájuščij)well skilled
- све́дущий (svéduščij)well skilled
- о́пытный (ópytnyj)well skilled
- уме́лый (umélyj)well skilled
- знато́к (znatók)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
- экспе́рт (ekspért)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
- специали́ст (specialíst)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
- специали́стка (specialístka)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
- ма́стер (máster)one fully skilled or well versed in anything
Spanish experto, hábil
- expertowell skilled
- hábilwell skilled
- fiebrúwell skilled
- fiebrúawell skilled
- expertoone fully skilled or well versed in anything
- expertaone fully skilled or well versed in anything
Swedish skicklig
- skickligwell skilled
Turkish becerikli, mahir
- becerikliwell skilled
- mahirwell skilled
- ustawell skilled
- ehilwell skilled
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with adept
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
adept. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adept
“adept.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adept. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “adept,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adept.
Source: adept on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.