NYT Dictionary

ADROIT

/əˈdɹɔɪt/
Adjectivea-DROITa-droit · 2 syllablesGrade 8

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2022

Meaning

deft, dexterous, or skillful

Etymology

Origin: Latin

Borrowed from French adroit, from French à (“on the; to”) (from Old French a (“to; towards”), from Latin ad (“to; towards”), from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“at; near”)) + French droit (“right”) (from Old French droit, dreit, from Late Latin drictus, syncopated form of Latin dīrēctus (“laid straight; direct, straight; level; upright”), perfective passive participle of dīrigō (“to lay straight”), from dis- (“apart, in two”) (from Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“twice; in two”)) + regō (“to govern, rule; to guide, steer”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to be straightening, setting upright”))).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

habileskillfuladeptdaedalianadroitnessaptartfulartisticastuteauthoritative

Antonyms

clumsymaladroit

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2020, 2022.

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