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in the use of the body and limbs; skillful and active with the hands; handy; ready; as, a dexterous hand; a dexterous workman.

In a dexterous manner; skillfully.

The quality of being dexterous; dexterity.

Dexterous in the use of the hands or in the exercise of the mental faculties; exhibiting skill and readiness in avoiding danger or escaping difficulty; ready in invention or execution; -- applied to persons and to acts; as, an adroit mechanic, an adroit reply. "Adroit in the application of the telescope and quadrant."…

Using or exhibiting much art, skill, or contrivance; dexterous; skillful. He [was] too artful a writer to set down events in exact historical order. Dryden.

In an artful manner; with art or cunning; skillfully; dexterously; craftily.

One peculiarly dexterous and tasteful in almost any employment, as an opera dancer, a hairdresser, a cook.

Clumsy in performance or manners; unhandy; not dexterous; awkward. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Wanting dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments; not dexterous; without skill; clumsy; wanting ease, grace, or effectiveness in movement; ungraceful; as, he was awkward at a trick; an awkward boy. And dropped an awkward courtesy. Dryden.

Free from awkwardness; not bungling; adroit; dexterous; as, aclean trick; a clean leap over a fence.

Adroit; skillful; dexterous; artful. [Obs.] Through his fine handling and his cleanly play. Spenser.

Relating to, or characterized by, craft or skill; dexterous. [Obs.] "Crafty work." Piers Plowman.

Knowing; skillfull; dexterous. "A cunning workman." Ex. xxxviii. 23. "Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on. Shak. Esau was a cunning hunter. Gen xxv. 27.

Apt; fit; dexterous; clever; handy; spruce; neat. [Archaic or Poetic] "The deftest way." Shak. "Deftest feats." Gay. The limping god, do deft at his new ministry. Dryden. Let me be deft and debonair. Byron.

Aptly; fitly; dexterously; neatly. "Deftly dancing." Drayton. Thyself and office deftly show. Shak.

Dexterous. [Obs.]

Same as Dexterous, Dexterously, etc.

Characterized by tact and shrewdness; dexterous; artful; as, diplomatic management.

In a skillful or dexterous manner; adroitly; with readiness and accuracy.

Dexterous in movements or service; skillful; neat; nice; pretty. [Archaic] Never master had a page . . . so feat. Shak. And look how well my garments sit upon me --Much feater than before. Shak.