deft
adjective
ˈdeft 
: characterized by facility and skill
the photographer's deft use of lighting
the deft fingers of the trumpeter
deftly adverb
deftness
ˈdef(t)-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
- adroit
- artful
- bravura
- delicate
- dexterous
- dextrous
- expert
- masterful
- masterly
- practiced
- practised
- skillful
- virtuoso
- workmanlike
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The photographer is known for her deft use of lighting. a luthier whose deft craftsmanship is prized by violinists the world over
Recent Examples on the Web Dunham is deft in her characteristic ability to shape an easy yet complex orbit for these three characters. 
Sarah-tai Black, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2022 At a late June meeting of an FDA advisory committee, independent vaccine experts overwhelmingly agreed with the need to update the coronavirus vaccines because the virus is now more deft at dodging their protection. Noah Weiland, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2022 Kelly points out that an earlier insult for a mentally ill person, fruitcake, contains nuts—showing how deft early-20th-century slang speakers were at layering cruelty. Joseph Lamour, Bon Appétit, 22 June 2022 Pak’s dramatic conception is deft and daring, as seen in dream sequences realized with a light touch and an uninhibited directness. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 June 2022 Few, if any, in the NBA are as deft in switches or one-on-one challenges. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2022 The escalation from ballad to heart-pumper is deft, with a lone synth note the perfect segue from teasing to demanding. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 17 May 2022 The opening theme, famous for its menacing offbeats, which Valenzuela chose to emphasize rather than soften, was deft and precise. Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2022 Handling in corners is deft and predictable, and the brakes are excellent. Brendan Mcaleer, Car and Driver, 3 Apr. 2022 See More
Sarah-tai Black, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2022 At a late June meeting of an FDA advisory committee, independent vaccine experts overwhelmingly agreed with the need to update the coronavirus vaccines because the virus is now more deft at dodging their protection. Noah Weiland, BostonGlobe.com, 28 July 2022 Kelly points out that an earlier insult for a mentally ill person, fruitcake, contains nuts—showing how deft early-20th-century slang speakers were at layering cruelty. Joseph Lamour, Bon Appétit, 22 June 2022 Pak’s dramatic conception is deft and daring, as seen in dream sequences realized with a light touch and an uninhibited directness. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 June 2022 Few, if any, in the NBA are as deft in switches or one-on-one challenges. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2022 The escalation from ballad to heart-pumper is deft, with a lone synth note the perfect segue from teasing to demanding. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 17 May 2022 The opening theme, famous for its menacing offbeats, which Valenzuela chose to emphasize rather than soften, was deft and precise. Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2022 Handling in corners is deft and predictable, and the brakes are excellent. Brendan Mcaleer, Car and Driver, 3 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
perhaps continuing Middle English daffte, daft, defte "well-mannered, gentle, dull, foolish" — more at daft
Note: Rather than being derived directly from Middle English, Modern English deft may go back to an unattested Old English *gedefte (with umlaut), with a meaning "fit, ready" developing to "apt, skilfull"; the sense shift is otherwise difficult to account for, though the lack of any certain attestation of deft in the sense "skillful" before the later 16th century makes this scenario hypothetical.
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
deft
adjective
ˈdeft
defter; deftest
: quick and skillful in action
He cut hair with deft fingers.
deftness
noun
1
as in agility
ease and grace in physical activity the effortless deftness with which he plays the piano Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- agility
- nimbleness
- dexterity
- prowess
- spryness
- flexibility
- coordination
- gracefulness
- finesse
- litheness
- sleight
- suppleness
- handiness
- limberness
- adeptness
- adroitness
- sure-footedness
- loose-jointedness
- sure-handedness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- clumsiness
- awkwardness
- gracelessness
- ungainliness
- gawkiness
- klutziness
- inability
- incapacity
- disability
- incapability
- gaucheness
- ham-handedness
- impairment
- heavy-handedness
- gawkishness
- incapacitation
- debilitation
- unhandiness
- disablement
2
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something with deftness and aplomb she managed to keep the bickering relatives apart for the duration of the reception Synonyms & Similar Words
- skill
- skillfulness
- adeptness
- cunning
- artfulness
- adroitness
- artistry
- ease
- proficiency
- art
- cleverness
- finesse
- masterfulness
- expertise
- creativity
- talent
- dexterity
- knack
- aptitude
- handiness
- inventiveness
- experience
- expertness
- ingenuity
- flair
- artifice
- craft
- knowledge
- gift
- learning
- know-how
- bent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ineptitude
- artlessness
- ineptness
- clumsiness
- awkwardness
- amateurishness
- crudeness
- incompetence
- inability
- incapacity
- rudeness
- ineffectuality
- inefficiency
- inadequacy
- maladroitness
- ineffectiveness
- incapability
- inefficacy
- klutziness
- ineffectualness
- inadequateness
- tumbleweed
- tumbleweeds
- tumbling
- tumbling (to)
- tumbling (upon)
- tumbling barrel
- tumbling bay
- tumbling box
- tumbling mustard
- tumbling pigweed
- tumbling rod
- tumbling shaft
- tumbling to
- tumbling upon
- tumbling verse
- tumblings
- Tumboa
- tumbrel
- tumbrels
- tumbril
- tumbrils
- tumefaction
- tumefactions
- tumefied
- tumefies