Dexterity Meaning
/dɛksˈtɛɹɪti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounSkill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.
Sentence Examples
This task requires dexterity.
Playing the piano requires manual dexterity.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The pianist's remarkable ____ allowed her to play the complex passage with perfect precision and speed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This task requires ____.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Middle French dextérité, from Latin dexteritas, from dexter (“on the right”), this is in reference to most people having greater fine motor skills in their right hand. Partially displaced native Old English handcræft, whence Modern English handcraft.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"With mutual toil, and intuitive dexterity, we built our commodious habitation in the hollow of a mango tree, that the fruit, which was then in bloſſom, might ſubſiſt our young."
— 1769, Firishta, translated by Alexander Dow, Tales translated from the Persian of Inatulla of Delhi, volume I, Dublin: P. and W. Wilson et al., page 15:
"She removed Stranleigh’s coat with a dexterity that aroused his imagination. The elder woman returned with dressings and a sponge, which she placed on a chair."
— 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The pianist's remarkable ____ allowed her to play the complex passage with perfect precision and speed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
This task requires ____.