Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dexterous

/ˈdɛkstɹəs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.28 in modern English

Syllables: dex-ter-ous
IPA: /ˈdɛkstɹəs/

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Skillful with one's hands.

adj

Skillful in some specific thing.

adj

Agile; flexible; able to move fluidly and gracefully.

adj

Skilled at argumentation; mentally skillful; quick-witted.

Archaic

Example Sentences

"She is pleasingly dexterous with the chopsticks, and keeps one hand lying palm up on her lap. Pinched with just the right pressure between the sticks; funny how plump women have that delicate touch."
"We went frequently out with this boat a-fishing; and as I was most dexterous to catch fish for him, he never went without me."
"1775, speech by Edmund Burke […] the study [of law] renders men acute, inquisitive, dexterous, prompt in attack, ready in defense […]"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *déḱs Proto-Indo-European *deḱs-terósder. Proto-Italic *deksteros Latin dexter Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English dexterous From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ.

Word Breakdown

Root: *deḱs-
Suffix: dexter

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

more dexterous (comparative) most dexterous (superlative) dextrous (alternative, UK)

Derived Forms

dexterously dexterousness nondexterous undexterous

Frequently Paired Words

ambidextrous dexter dexterity adroit active expert skillful clever

Synonyms

deft dextrous

Rhymes With

ambidextrous dextrous ambisextrous

Questions

How do you pronounce dexterous?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɛkstɹəs/.
What does dexterous mean?: Skillful with one's hands.
Where does dexterous come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *déḱs Proto-Indo-European *deḱs-terósder. Proto-Italic *deksteros Latin dexter Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Old French -usbor. Middle English -ous English -ous English dexterous From Latin dexter (“right, ready”) + -ous. Displaced native Old English handcræftiġ.

How to pronounce dexterous

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