skill

Roget category 698

5. Words relating to the voluntary powers
› 5.3. Voluntary action
›› 5.3.2. Complex voluntary action

#698. Skill

noun

skill, skillfulness, address — dexterity, dexterousness — adroitness, expertness etc. adj. — proficiency, competence, technical competence, craft, callidity^†, facility, knack, trick, sleight — mastery, mastership, excellence, panurgy^† — ambidexterity, ambidextrousness^† — sleight of hand etc. (deception) 545.
seamanship, airmanship, marksmanship, horsemanship — rope-dancing.
accomplishment, acquirement, attainment — art, science — technicality, technology — practical knowledge, technical knowledge.
knowledge of the world, world wisdom, savoir faire [Fr.] — tact — mother wit etc. (sagacity) 498 — discretion etc. (caution) 864 — finesse — craftiness etc. (cunning) 702 — management etc. (conduct) 692 — self-help.
cleverness, talent, ability, ingenuity, capacity, parts, talents, faculty, endowment, forte, turn, gift, genius — intelligence etc. 498 — sharpness, readiness etc. (activity) 682 — invention etc. 515 — aptness, aptitude — turn for, capacity for, genius for — felicity, capability, curiosa felicitas [Lat.], qualification, habilitation.
proficient etc. 700.
masterpiece, coup de maitre [Fr.], chef d'euvre [Fr.], tour de force — good stroke etc. (plan) 626.

verb

be skillful etc. adj. — excel in, be master of — have a turn for etc. n.. know what's what, know a hawk from a handsaw, know what one is about, know on which side one's bread is buttered, know what's o'clock — have cut one's eye teeth, have cut one's wisdom teeth.
see one's way, see where the wind lies, see which way the wind blows — have all one's wits about one, have one's hand in — savoir vivre [Fr.] — scire quid valeant humeri quid ferre recusent [Lat.].
look after the main chance — cut one's coat according to one's cloth — live by one's wits — exercise one's discretion, feather the oar, sail near the wind — stoop to conquer etc. (cunning) 702 — play one's cards well, play one's best card — hit the right nail on the head, put the saddle on the right horse.
take advantage of, make the most of — profit by etc. (use) 677 — make a hit etc. (succeed) 731 — make a virtue of necessity — make hay while the sun shines etc. (occasion) 134.

adjective

skillful, dexterous, adroit, expert, apt, handy, quick, deft, ready, gain — slick, smart etc. (active) 682 — proficient, good at, up to, at home in, master of, a good hand at, au fait, thoroughbred, masterly, crack, accomplished — conversant etc. (knowing) 490.
experienced, practiced, skilled, hackneyed — up in, well up in — in practice, in proper cue — competent, efficient, qualified, capable, fitted, fit for, up to the mark, trained, initiated, prepared, primed, finished.
clever, cute, able, ingenious, felicitous, gifted, talented, endowed — inventive etc. 515 — shrewd, sharp, on the ball etc. (intelligent) 498 — cunning etc. 702 — alive to, up to snuff, not to be caught with chaff — discreet.
neat-handed, fine-fingered, nimble-fingered, ambidextrous, sure-footed — cut out for, fitted for.
technical, artistic, scientific, daedalian^†, shipshape — workman-like, business-like, statesman-like.

adverb

skillfully etc. adj. — well etc. 618 — artistically — with skill, with consummate skill — secundum artem [Lat.], suo Marte — to the best of one's abilities etc. (exertion) 686.

phrase

ars celare artem [Lat.] — artes honorabit [Lat.] — celui qui veut celui-la peut [Fr.] — c'est une grande habilite que de savoir cacher c'est une grande habilite que de savoir cacher sonhabilite [Fr.] — expertus metuit [Lat.] [Horace]; es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille sich ein es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille sich ein Charakter in dem Strom der Welt [G.] — heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, or heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, or the hand to execute;" [Junius]; if you have lemons, make lemonade.

The content on this page comes straight from Project Gutenberg Etext of Roget's Thesaurus No. Two, which consists of the acclaimed work by Peter Mark Roget augmented with more recent material. Some changes were made to the formatting for improved readability.

Bold numbers signify related Roget categories. A dagger symbol (†) indicates archaic words and expressions no longer in common use.

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