Meanings
plural dexterities
- countableuncountableSkill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.
Playing computer games can improve your manual dexterity.
3 more examples
She twirled the pencil through her fingers with impressive dexterity.
With mutual toil, and intuitive dexterity, we built our commodious habitation in the hollow of a mango tree, that the fruit, which was then in bloſſom, might ſubſiſt our young.
1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page 15She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair.
1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindexteritas
- Middle Frenchdextérité
- Englishdexterity
Borrowed from Middle French dextérité, from Latin dexteritas, from dexter (“on the right”), this is in reference to most people having greater fine motor skills in their right hand. Partially displaced native Old English handcræft, whence Modern English handcraft.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian сръчност, ловкост
- сръчност (srăčnost)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- ловкост (lovkost)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Catalan destresa
- destresaskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Chinese Mandarin 機巧 /机巧, 靈巧 /灵巧
- 機巧 /机巧 (jīqiǎo)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- 靈巧 /灵巧 (língqiǎo)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Czech zručnost, šikovnost
- zručnostskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- šikovnostskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Danish fingerfærdighed
- fingerfærdighedskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Dutch handigheid
- handigheidskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Finnish näppäryys, taitavuus
- näppäryysskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- taitavuusskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
French dextérité
- dextéritéskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
German Fingerfertigkeit, Geschicklichkeit
- Fingerfertigkeitskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- Geschicklichkeitskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- Gewandtheitskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Greek επιδεξιότητα, δεξιοσύνη
- επιδεξιότητα (epidexiótita)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- δεξιοσύνη (dexiosýni)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- επιτηδειότητα (epitideiótita)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- μαστοριά (mastoriá)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Hebrew זריזות, גמישות
- זריזותskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- גמישותskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- מיומנותskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- קלות תנועהskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Hungarian kézügyesség, ügyesség
- kézügyességskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- ügyességskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- fürgeségskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Indonesian ketangkasan
- ketangkasanskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Italian destrezza
- destrezzaskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Japanese 器用さ, 素早さ
- 器用さ (kiyōsa)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- 素早さ (subayasa)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Latin agilitās, pernīcitās
- agilitāsskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- pernīcitāsskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Lithuanian miklumas
- miklumasskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Persian چیرهدستی, زبردستی
- چیرهدستی (čire-dasti)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- زبردستی (zebar-dasti)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- تردستی (tar-dasti)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Polish zręczność, zwinność
- zręcznośćskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- zwinnośćskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Portuguese destreza
- destrezaskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Romanian dexteritate, îndemânare
- dexteritateskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- îndemânareskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- iscusințăskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- dibăcieskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- abilitateskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Russian ло́вкость, сноро́вка
- ло́вкость (lóvkostʹ)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- сноро́вка (snoróvka)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- прово́рность (provórnostʹ)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- прово́рство (provórstvo)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- подви́жность (podvížnostʹ)skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Slovak zručnosť, obratnosť
- zručnosťskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- obratnosťskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Spanish destreza, desparpajo
- destrezaskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- desparpajoskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Swedish skicklighet, fingerfärdighet
- skicklighetskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- fingerfärdighetskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
- händighetskill in performing tasks, especially with the hands
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dexterity
All rhymes →Cite this entry
dexterity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dexterity
“dexterity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dexterity. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dexterity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dexterity.
Source: dexterity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.