Meanings
adjectivedexterous (comparative more dexterous, superlative most dexterous)
comparative more dexterous · superlative most dexterous · alternative UK dextrous
- Skillful with one's hands.
She is pleasingly dexterous with the chopsticks, and keeps one hand lying palm up on her lap. Pinched with just the right pressure between the sticks; funny how plump women have that delicate touch.
1960, John Updike, 'Rabbit, Run', page 57 - Skillful in some specific thing.
We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me.
1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC - archaicfigurativelySkilled at argumentation; mentally skillful; quick-witted.
1775, speech by Edmund Burke […] the study [of law] renders men acute, inquisitive, dexterous, prompt in attack, ready in defense […]
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*déḱs
- Proto-Indo-European*deḱs-terós
- Proto-Italic*deksteros
- Latindexter
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃ed-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₃édosder.?
- Englishdexterous
From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian сръчен, умел
- сръчен (srăčen)skillful with one's hands
- умел (umel)skillful with one's hands
- ловък (lovăk)skillful in some specific thing
- сръчен (srăčen)skillful in some specific thing
- умел (umel)skillful in some specific thing
- изкусен (izkusen)skillful in some specific thing
- находчив (nahodčiv)skillful in some specific thing
- ловък (lovăk)agile; flexible
Catalan destre
- destreskillful in some specific thing
Chinese Mandarin 機巧 /机巧, 靈巧 /灵巧
- 機巧 /机巧 (jīqiǎo)skillful with one's hands
- 靈巧 /灵巧 (língqiǎo)skillful with one's hands
Czech zručný, šikovný
- zručnýskillful with one's hands
- šikovnýskillful with one's hands
- pružnýagile; flexible
Danish behændig
- behændigskillful with one's hands
Dutch handig, behendig
- handigskillful with one's hands
- behendigskillful with one's hands
- handigskillful in some specific thing
- behendigagile; flexible
Esperanto manlerta
- manlertaskillful with one's hands
Finnish kätevä, näppärä
- käteväskillful with one's hands
- näppäräskillful with one's hands
- kätevä käsistäänskillful with one's hands
- taitavaskillful in some specific thing
- ketteräagile; flexible
- jänteväagile; flexible
French adroit, habile
- adroitskillful with one's hands
- habileskillful with one's hands
German behänd, geschickt
- behändskillful with one's hands
- geschicktskillful with one's hands
- fingerfertigskillful with one's hands
- geschicktskillful in some specific thing
- gewandtskillful in some specific thing
- tüchtigskillful in some specific thing
- agilagile; flexible
- flexibelagile; flexible
- flinkagile; flexible
- gewandtagile; flexible
Hindi दक्ष, दस्तकार
- दक्ष (dakṣ)skillful with one's hands
- दस्तकार (dastakār)skillful with one's hands
- दक्ष (dakṣ)skillful in some specific thing
- निपुण (nipuṇ)skillful in some specific thing
- कुशल (kuśal)skillful in some specific thing
Italian destro, abile
- destroskillful with one's hands
- abileskillful with one's hands
- ingegnososkillful with one's hands
- abileskillful in some specific thing
- sveltoskillful in some specific thing
- agileagile; flexible
- aggraziatoagile; flexible
Japanese 器用な
- 器用な (kiyō na)skillful with one's hands
Latin agilis, pernix
- agilisagile; flexible
- pernixagile; flexible
Latvian veikls, veikls
- veiklsskillful with one's hands
- veiklsskillful in some specific thing
- veiklsagile; flexible
- vingrsagile; flexible
Māori haratau
- haratauskillful with one's hands
Polish zręczny, umiejętny
- zręcznyskillful with one's hands
- umiejętnyskillful with one's hands
- zręcznyskillful in some specific thing
- wprawnyskillful in some specific thing
- zręcznyagile; flexible
- gibkiagile; flexible
Portuguese hábil/habilidoso (com as mãos), hábil
- hábil/habilidoso (com as mãos)skillful with one's hands
- hábilskillful in some specific thing
- habilidososkillful in some specific thing
- ágilagile; flexible
Romanian abil, îndemânatic
- abilskillful with one's hands
- îndemânaticskillful with one's hands
- abilskillful in some specific thing
- descurcărețskillful in some specific thing
Russian ло́вкий, прово́рный
- ло́вкий (lóvkij)skillful with one's hands
- прово́рный (provórnyj)skillful with one's hands
- уме́лый (umélyj)skillful with one's hands
- уме́лый (umélyj)skillful in some specific thing
- иску́сный (iskúsnyj)skillful in some specific thing
- ло́вкий (lóvkij)agile; flexible
- ги́бкий (gíbkij)agile; flexible
Slovak zručný, šikovný
- zručnýskillful with one's hands
- šikovnýskillful with one's hands
- šikovnýskillful in some specific thing
- ladnýagile; flexible
Spanish diestro, diestro
- diestroskillful with one's hands
- diestroskillful in some specific thing
- mañososkillful in some specific thing
- duchoskillful in some specific thing
- duechoskillful in some specific thing
- diestroagile; flexible
Swedish händig
- händigskillful with one's hands
Turkish eli çabuk, becerikli
- eli çabukskillful with one's hands
- becerikliskillful in some specific thing
- hünerliskillful in some specific thing
- mahâhretliskillful in some specific thing
- mâhirskillful in some specific thing
- mârifetliskillful in some specific thing
- atikagile; flexible
- çevikagile; flexible
Ukrainian спри́тний, згра́бний
- спри́тний (sprýtnyj)skillful with one's hands
- згра́бний (zhrábnyj)skillful with one's hands
- умі́лий (umílyj)skillful with one's hands
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dexterous
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
dexterous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dexterous
MLA
“dexterous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dexterous. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dexterous,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dexterous.
Source: dexterous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.