adept

¹ad·ept

noun \ˈa-ˌdept, ə-ˈdept, a-ˈ\

Definition of ADEPT

: a highly skilled or well-trained individual : expert <an adept at chess>

Examples of ADEPT

1. <even by the standards of Washington, he's an adept at political intrigue and power politics>
2. Once safely back in Paris, and having attained his majority, the poet squandered his inheritance with an adept's fervor … —Nicholas Delbanco, Harper's, September 2004
3. They recruited computational chemists, software engineers, AI experts, and various other computer adepts, all of whom put their monster minds together to create an automated reasoning system that could inspect vast amounts of chemical data quickly and point the finger at potential new drug compounds. —Ed Regis, Wired, June 2000

Origin of ADEPT

New Latin adeptus alchemist who has attained the knowledge of how to change base metals into gold, from Latin, past participle of adipisci to attain, from ad- + apisci to reach — more at apt

First Known Use: 1709

Related to ADEPT

Synonyms: ace, expert, artist, authority, cognoscente, connoisseur, crackerjack (also crackajack), dab [chiefly British], dab hand [chiefly British], fiend, geek, guru, hand, hotshot, maestro, master, maven (also mavin), meister, past master, proficient, scholar, shark, sharp, virtuoso, whiz, wizard

Antonyms: amateur, inexpert, nonexpert

Related Words: pro, professional; consultant, hired gun, specialist; addict, aficionado (also afficionado), buff, devotee, enthusiast, fan; craftsman, journeyman; all-rounder [British], jack-of-all-trades, Renaissance man; mistress

Near Antonyms: apprentice, beginner, neophyte, novice; dabbler, dilettante; layman, nonprofessional

[+]more[-]hide

Rhymes with ADEPT

accept, backswept, concept, except, inept, percept, precept, transept, upswept, windswept