dexterous
3
7.2
- adjective
- /ˈdɛkstrəs/
:
diestro
- My fingers are dexterous from years of guitar playing.
- dexterous hand
My fingers are dexterous from years of guitar playing.
- My fingers are dexterous from years of guitar playing.
- I'm never, I've never been a slick, super athletic, dexterous competitor in anything.
- That's all in an attempt to keep my brain as movement competent and dexterous as possible.
- Just never forget to be dexterous and deft, and never mix up your right foot with your left.
- Is that like good, capable, dexterous therapy and therapists?
- And then Sam Moore in my teens, just watching him being so oh dexterous as an actor.
Examples
-
In wooden cases hung samples of dressmaking, sewing, tailoring, and millinery crafted by dexterous women students.
Blog text (22) -
Its powerful forelimbs and dexterous, three-clawed "hands" enabled it to reach even higher to pull branches to its mouth.
Academic text (2009) -
I think you have to be really dexterous, really calm, patient.
-
Her left hand is dexterous, but her left arm can reach only about 6 inches.
Academic text (1991) -
The human body is more physically dexterous and adaptable than any machine yet built.
Fiction book (1995) -
That's great since I am so dexterous with my very delicate fingers.
-
Usually, I'm quite dexterous.
-
I watched Skip grow from the puppy who came to me from a farm... ...into a sleek and dexterous, affectionate dog.
-
An examination of their spontaneous verbal sparring reveals dexterous vocabulary and complex thought processes delivered in speeches loaded with clarity and wit.
Academic text (2012) -
After years of practice, she became dextrous enough to perform complex surgery with precision.
Synonyms
47
2.5
Good at using your hands to make or fix things
34
2.8
Good at doing something because of practice and careful control
15
5.8
Quick and skillful with the hands when working
1
6.2
Skilled, steady, and confident when doing a task, often using the hands
1
6.8
Good at moving the hands quickly and carefully
Able to move different parts of the body smoothly and accurately
Antonyms
How Dexterous
Surface Forms
Morphology
dexterous = dexterity (transparent) = dexter + ous
The adjective is clearly related to the noun 'dexterity' (skill), and the suffix '-ous' forms an adjective meaning 'having or showing' that quality.
Etymology
Dexterous comes from the Latin root dexter, which means 'right', because people often used their right hand for careful, skilled work. Think of ambidextrous ('both' + 'right') or dexterity to remember that dexterous means skillful, especially with the hands.