Dexterity: meaning, example and synonyms
Dexterityn. Skill and ease in using the hands or in thinking quickly.
Example
Restoring the torn manuscript demanded such dexterity that the conservator worked with tweezers for hours without tearing a single fiber.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Synonyms
- deftness, adroitness, nimbleness, skill
- Antonyms
- clumsiness, awkwardness, ineptitude
- Memory tip
- Latin dexter = right hand: as skilled as your best hand.
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Check yourself: Dexterity in context
Watchmakers of the period needed remarkable ______ to assemble movements whose tiniest screws were barely visible without a magnifying glass.
Answer: dexterity. Assembling barely visible screws requires skill with the hands: dexterity. Strife (conflict), dispersion (scattering) and a foible (minor flaw) are not abilities a watchmaker needs.
The debater showed impressive verbal ______, turning each of her opponent's objections into evidence for her own position within seconds.
Answer: dexterity. Quickly turning objections around shows mental agility: dexterity. A reproach (blame), a foible (quirk) and dispersion (scattering) don't describe quick, skillful thinking.