nimble-fingered

adjective

Thieving, thievish.

Meanings

adjectivenimble-fingered (comparative more nimble-fingered, superlative most nimble-fingered)

comparative more nimble-fingered · superlative most nimble-fingered

  1. Thieving, thievish.

    Come hither Filch. I am as fond of this Child, as though my Mind miſgave me he vvere my ovvn. He hath as fine a Hand at picking a Pocket as a VVWoman, and is as nimble-finger’d as a Juggler.

    1728, [John] Gay, The Beggar’s Opera. […], London: […] John Watts, […], →OCLC, Act I, scene vi, page 7
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see nimble, fingered.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivehaving nimble fingers literally or figuratively; especially for stealing or picking pockets

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

nimble-fingered. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nimble-fingered

MLA

“nimble-fingered.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nimble-fingered. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nimble-fingered,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nimble-fingered.

Source: nimble-fingered on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.