deft
deft Lexical Profile
deft Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Neatly skillful and quick in one's movements.
"With a few deft strokes of the brush, the artist captured the expression on the child's face."
Demonstrating sharp skill, cleverness, and sensitivity in dealing with people or complex situations.
"The mediator's deft handling of the dispute prevented the negotiations from breaking down."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'deft' (meaning skillful and quick) with 'daft' (a British informal term meaning silly, foolish, or eccentric); though both words share the same Old English root, their meanings diverged into near-opposites.
• Rhymes for deft
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English defte, from Old English gedæfte ('mild, gentle, meek, or becoming'), derived from the Proto-Germanic root *gadabaz ('fitting'). Curiously, it is an etymological doublet of 'daft', which originally meant 'gentle' before shifting to 'simple-minded' or 'foolish'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.