English Reference
Adjective

adept

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /əˈdɛpt/ adept UK spelling adepts

adj.very good at doing something, especially because you have practiced it. You use this word to describe someone who has skill or talent in a specific area.

adj.having or showing a high degree of skill or proficiency in a particular field or activity. Typically used attributively before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb.


SIMPLE

She is an adept programmer.

CONTEXTUAL

The adept pianist played the difficult piece without making a single mistake.

COMPLEX

Though naturally talented, he became an adept negotiator only after years of studying human psychology and practicing active listening techniques.

Even the most adept researchers may not know exactly what they do to get successful results.

The New York Times· 27 Aug 2026

But some viruses are adept at changing their appearance – or mutating – so vaccines can quickly go out of date.

BBC News· 4 Jun 2026

Borrowed from French adepte, from Latin adeptus (“who has achieved”), the past participle of adipisci (“to attain”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin adeptus
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated