# talent

/ˈtæɫənt/ (US) · /tˈælənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/talent
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. natural ability

noun · CEFR B1

a natural skill or ability to do something very well.

For teachers: an innate or acquired capacity for achievement or success in a specific field.

- He has a real talent for drawing and spends all his free time sketching.
- The young pianist demonstrated an extraordinary talent for interpretation, bringing a fresh perspective to a well-known classical piece.

### 2. talented people

noun · CEFR B2

people who are very good at something, often used in business or sports.

For teachers: people of high ability or potential viewed collectively, often within a specific industry or organisation.

- The company is always looking for new talent to join their design team.
- The recruitment agency specialises in identifying top-tier talent for executive positions within the renewable energy sector.

### 3. attractive people

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

a group of people you find physically attractive.

For teachers: a collective reference to people considered physically attractive in a specific social setting.

- There was a lot of local talent at the beach party last night.
- He joked that he only attended the opening night of the festival to check out the local talent.

### 4. ancient money

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

a unit of weight or money used in very old times, like in ancient Greece.

For teachers: an ancient unit of weight and value, particularly used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilisations.

- In the ancient story, the king gave the servant a talent of gold.
- The historical text mentions that the tribute paid to the empire amounted to several hundred talents of silver annually.

## Examples

- She has a natural talent for playing the piano.
- The recruitment team is always looking for new talent to join the engineering department.
- While hard work is essential for success, an innate talent for abstract reasoning gives some students a distinct advantage in advanced mathematics.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.