deft
deft — 形容詞
- deftpositive
- deftercomparative
- deftestsuperlative
1. able to do something with quick, neat, and well-controlled hand or body movement
靈巧俐落
動作快速、精準又輕巧
able to do something with quick, neat, and well-controlled hand or body movements — and, by extension, able to handle a tricky situation or topic with the same kind of light, precise touch.
Nora folded the dumpling wrappers with deft fingers and barely spilled any filling.
Nora 用靈巧的手指包餃子皮，幾乎沒漏出任何餡料。
collocation: deft fingers / deft hands
The young pianist's left hand was surprisingly deft for a beginner of only six months.
這位年輕鋼琴家的左手對只學了六個月的初學者來說，俐落得令人驚訝。
predicative: be deft (for/at) + noun
With a few deft strokes of the knife, Mizuki turned the carrot into a tiny rose.
Mizuki 拿刀俐落地幾下，就把胡蘿蔔削成了一朵小玫瑰。
attributive: deft + movement noun
Ilan is remarkably deft at handling angry customers without ever raising his voice.
Ilan 處理生氣的顧客時手腕非常俐落，從來不需要提高音量。
extended sense: deft at handling a difficult situation
The minister's deft answer turned the journalist's trap into a small joke.
部長那個俐落的回答，把記者設下的陷阱變成了一個小玩笑。
figurative: deft + speech / response noun
- deft fingers
- deft hands
- deft touch
- deft movement
- deft strokes
- deft at handling
- deft answer
- remarkably deft
- surprisingly deft
- dexterous
near-synonym; slightly more formal and almost always physical, while deft also covers verbal and social skill
- nimble
emphasises quick, light movement of fingers or body; deft adds the idea of precision and good outcome
- adroit
formal; often used for social or mental cleverness, less for purely physical skill
- skilful
general everyday word; deft is sharper, suggesting quickness and neatness on top of skill
- clumsy
direct opposite for physical movement — fumbling, knocking things over
- awkward
broader opposite covering both physical movement and handling tricky situations
- ham-fisted
informal; clumsy in a way that ruins a delicate task
文法句型
deft + body part / movement noun
deft with + noun
deft at + V-ing
用法筆記
Frequently attributive before a body-part or movement noun (deft fingers, deft hands, deft touch, deft strokes). The figurative extension keeps the same nuance of light, controlled, economical action — never used for raw power or brute force.