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fluent

fluent

1 3.9
Moving smoothly and easily without stiffness
  • adjective
  • /ˈfluːənt/
translation icon : fluido
  • The practice of harmonizing traditional melodies with functional harmony allows the hands to become more fluent on the keyboard, freeing up cognitive resources.

That is a moment where you transition from disfluent thinking to fluent thinking.

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Examples

  • Spotting a small boy, he ordered him in fluent Arabic to fetch the cognac, the coffee service, and the radio from the tower.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Rote instruction assists instrumentalists as they develop the basic kinesthetic facilities needed for fluent performances.

    Academic text (2011)
  • "Could these fluent fingers ever fail to dance across the keyboard?

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The experience demonstrated to me how my students feel when their movement isn't fluent, even movement they know well enough to perform.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Every fluent move she made, every charming word she spoke, peeled away his fatigue.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The dancer moved across the stage with fluent grace, captivating the audience.

  • She spoke fluent French during the conversation, impressing everyone at the dinner.

  • His fluent gestures made the instructions easy to follow for all participants.

Synonyms

smooth
vsfluent
204 1.0

Moving or happening in an even, easy way without sudden problems

adds visible grace and apparent effortlessness beyond evenness
graceful
vsfluent
87 2.8

Movement that is smooth and attractive like a dancer or swan

is more about effortless, flowing ease than mere elegance
liquid
vsfluent
24 4.2

Smooth and flowing in movement or sound, like water

focuses more on natural, effortless grace than on shine or flow
deft
vsfluent
15 5.8

Quick and skillful with the hands when working

stresses smooth, graceful effortlessness over quick hand skill
fluid
vsfluent
13 4.2

Moving smoothly and gracefully without stiffness

adds a sense of natural ease and graceful effortlessness
dexterous
vsfluent
3 7.2

Good at using hands to do careful tasks

emphasizes whole-body effortless elegance rather than manual skill
1 3.9

Moving smoothly and elegantly without sudden or awkward movements

is more effortless in movement rather than only elegant
flowy
vsfluent
  • Informal
3.7

A smooth, continuous style of movement, music, or writing

applies to physical ease and graceful, effortless movement rather than style
coordinated
vsfluent
3.8

Able to move different parts of the body smoothly and accurately

involves overall effortless grace and lack of stiffness beyond coordination

Antonyms

127 1.7

Not easy to bend or move

33 3.0

Not graceful in movement or action

Compounds

fluent aphasia
  • Specialized
8.6

Talking that sounds normal but uses wrong words and makes understanding language hard

How Smooth

graceful
87 2.8
flowing
1 3.7
smooth
204 1.0
fluent
1 3.9
awkward
33 3.0
stiff
127 1.7
rigid
35 4.0

Surface Forms

fluent positive

Morphology

fluent = fluid (semi-transparent) = flu + ent

The adjective comes from the Latin root meaning 'to flow' (cf. 'fluid'), so the connection to smooth movement is clear but the suffix '-ent' is not a productive, transparent English adjective-forming element for learners.

Etymology

Fluent comes from the Latin fluere 'to flow', the same root as flow and fluid. So a fluent movement is like water moving smoothly and without stops.