dexterous

English

Alternative forms

• dextrous

Etymology

From Latin dexter (“right, ready”)

Adjective

dexterous (comparative more dexterous, superlative most dexterous)

1. Skillful with one's hands.
2. Skillful in some specific thing
   • 1719: Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

     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.

3. Agile; flexible; able to move fluidly and gracefully

Related terms

• ambidextrous
• dexter
• dexterity

Translations

skillful with one's hands

Bulgarian: сръчен (bg), умел (bg) Croatian: vješt (hr) Czech: zručný (cs) m. Finnish: kätevä (fi), taitava (fi), kätevä (fi) käsistään (fi) German: behänd (de) Italian: destro (it), abile (it)

Macedonian: спретен (mk) (spréten) m., умешен (mk) (úmešen) m. Manx: aghtal (gv) Mapudungun: trüf Slovak: zručný (sk) m., šikovný (sk) m. Spanish: diestro (es) Swedish: händig (sv) Turkish: eli çabuk (tr)

skillful in some specific thing

Finnish: taitava (fi) German: geschickt (de), gewandt (de) Italian: abile (it) Macedonian: умешен (mk) (úmešen) m., вешт (mk) (vešt) m.

Manx: aghtal (gv) Slovak: vymakaný (slangy) (sk) Spanish: habilidoso (es), diestro (es), habiloso (es) Turkish: becerikli (tr), hünerli (tr), mahâhretli (tr), mâhir (tr), mârifetli (tr)

agile; flexible

Bulgarian: ловък (bg) Croatian: savitljiv (hr) m., felksibilan (hr) m. Finnish: ketterä (fi), jäntevä (fi) German: agile (de), flexibel (de), flink (de)

Italian: agile (it), aggraziato (it) Slovak: ladný (sk) Spanish: diestro (es) Turkish: atik (tr), çevik (tr)

See also

• adroit
• active
• expert
• skillful
• clever
• able
• ready
• apt
• handy
• versed

External links

• dexterous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• dexterous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• dexterous at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Exoduster