as in skilled
having or showing exceptional knowledge, experience, or skill in a field of endeavor
she is quite proficient at computer repair a proficient rendition of a difficult piano piece
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in adept
a person with a high level of knowledge or skill in a field
an urgent call by the state department for proficients in Arabic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of proficient
Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Alas, while the comics themselves have prominence on-screen in their static form, the doc remains a proficient, engaging portrait, but an unadventurous one.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Six in 10 fourth graders aren't proficient in math, and seven in 10 can't read at the 4th grade level.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
But the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress paint a less promising picture with fourth grade reading at just 31% proficient and eighth grade math at 37%.
—Jim Cowen, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proficient
Adjective
No single shooter makes a team that proficient from deep — and lo and behold, six Tigers have made at least 20 3s this season at a 36 percent clip or better.
—Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Alas, while the comics themselves have prominence on-screen in their static form, the doc remains a proficient, engaging portrait, but an unadventurous one.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Feb. 2025
Six in 10 fourth graders aren't proficient in math, and seven in 10 can't read at the 4th grade level.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 6 Mar. 2025
But the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress paint a less promising picture with fourth grade reading at just 31% proficient and eighth grade math at 37%.
—Jim Cowen, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for proficient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proficient
Adjective
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The loss of this skilled support would place a greater burden on active-duty soldiers, who are not trained for many of these back-end roles.—
Solange Charas,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Hurley said postgame that Florida’s roster construction — especially the Gators’ skilled two-way bigs and glut of perimeter threats — reminded him of his own rosters, at least for most of the past three seasons.—
Brendan Marks,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps Sheridan’s greatest magic trick occurs on Landman, where the adept acting of Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Hamm make the case that Thornton’s oil-field fixer and Hamm’s billionaire are the true American martyrs.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2025
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Around him, dense as a swarm of tiny insects, float tiny images of fellow adepts engaged in all manner of outré shenanigans.—
Holland Cotter,
New York Times,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This skillful painting by Sophie Zhou, a junior at The Kincaid School, was sold for a record $276,000 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's school art competition auction.—
Shafaq Patel,
Axios,
19 Mar. 2025
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This hints that, yes, skillful storytellers may actually live longer.—
Ron Shachar,
Scientific American,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Athletic’s experts Luke Smith (from Shanghai) and Madeline Coleman break down the season’s second race.—
Luke Smith,
The Athletic,
23 Mar. 2025
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Unlike MoE, where ‘experts’ emerge without explicit specialization, our method dynamically refines representations with true task-specific expertise.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The leaders who are most trusted aren’t necessarily the most charismatic or the most experienced.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
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Winston becomes the most experienced quarterback on the Giants' roster, joining former undrafted free agent Tommy DeVito, the only other quarterback on the team.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Setting up trekking pole tents takes a little practice to master, but Lanshan’s convenient hook system makes the process easy.—
Alice Bennett,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Mar. 2025
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This was just the beginning of how young tech masters worked on ways to share music across the internet.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Legal scholars have said there is little legal precedent for Trump's war on Big Law, which has created a chilling effect across the legal community, and most will certainly have a chilling effect on his opponents who will need legal representation against him.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2025
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On top of that, the Trump administration has detained some international scholars who have expressed support for Palestinian causes or criticized Israel over the war in Gaza.—
Tinbete Ermyas,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The virtuoso made his solo stage debut at Lollapalooza Hobipalooza on July 31, 2022 an hour-long showcase of his skills as a seasoned entertainer, performing tracks from Jack in the Box, his mixtape Hope World, and various BTS albums.—
Zoe Guy,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2025
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Starr is also accompanied by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Brenda Lee (whose career predates the Beatles) and contemporary bluegrass virtuoso Tuttle.—
Ilana Kaplan,
People.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proficient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proficient. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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