Basic Details
Word: Adroitness
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Skill and cleverness in using the hands or the mind, especially in difficult situations.
Synonyms: skill, dexterity, deftness, cleverness
Antonyms: clumsiness, awkwardness
Word origin: Comes from French adroit, skilful, from a droit, to the right, properly.
How to Spell Adroitness
Syllables: a - droit - ness
Tricky part: The vowels in the middle are o then i (the oi of coin), and the suffix ness ends in a double s.
Watch out for: adriotness, adroitnes, adroytness
Memory tip: Split it: a + droit + ness. Droit has the oi of point, and ness always keeps two s's, as in kindness.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The juggler's adroitness with five balls amazed the crowd.
Example 2: With great adroitness, the captain changed the subject.
Example 3: She folded the paper crane with the adroitness of an expert.
Fun Fact
Adroit comes from the French for to the right, and its opposite, gauche, is French for left. In English, gauche means awkward.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word adroitness as used in the sentence:
The surgeon's adroitness during the long operation impressed the young doctors.
a) clumsiness
b) dexterity
c) deftness
d) skill
Show answer
a) clumsiness. Clumsiness means fumbling and dropping things, the very opposite of adroitness.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The magician's adroitnes with a pack of cards left the children at the birthday party staring in wonder for a full minute.
a) adroitnes
b) birthday
c) wonder
d) magician's
Show answer
a) adroitnes. The suffix ness always ends in a double s.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. hesitation 2. bravery 3. patience 4. adriotness
a) skill and cleverness in handling things
b) courage in the face of danger
c) the ability to wait calmly
d) a pause before doing something
Show answer
a) skill and cleverness in handling things. The o comes before the i in adroit, as it does in point and coin.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A player who shows adroitness with the ball is ____.
a) lazy
b) unlucky
c) skilful
d) nervous
Show answer
c) skilful
2. Which person is showing adroitness?
a) a girl forgetting her lines on stage
b) a boy tripping over his own laces
c) a tailor threading a needle in one go
d) a man spilling tea all over the floor
Show answer
c) a tailor threading a needle in one go
