What does "skill" mean?
A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
Skill
/skɪl/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
- Grammar: skill is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ability, aptitude, competence, proficiency.
- Useful contrasts: incompetent, amateurism, artlessness.
- Usage evidence: She has improved her skill in cooking recently.
How to use "skill"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "skill" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "skill" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "skill" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "skill" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "skill" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ability" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "skill", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. countable, uncountable
"Where did you pick up that skill?"
- 2 ability to produce solutions in some problem domain wordnet
- 3 Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Him so I sought, and so at last I fownd Where him that witch had thralled to her will, In chaines of lust and lewde desyres ybownd And so transformed from his former skill, That me he knew not, nether his owne ill;"
- 4 an ability that has been acquired by training wordnet
- 5 Knowledge; understanding. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew The salvage minds with skill of just and trew;"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Richard was well ſtored with men, the bones; and quickly got money, the ſinews of warre; by a thousand Princely ſkills gathering ſo much coin as if he meant not to return, becauſe looking back would unbowe his reſolution."
Verb
- 1 To set apart; separate. transitive
- 2 To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to). dialectal, transitive
"I cannot skill of these Thy ways […]"
- 3 To know; to understand. Northern-England, Scotland, dialectal, rare, transitive
"As for the virginals I have none here that skill of them, except the young lord."
- 4 To have knowledge or comprehension; discern. intransitive
- 5 To have personal or practical knowledge; be versed or practised; be expert or dextrous. intransitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To make a difference; signify; matter. archaic, intransitive
"So then the whole scripture of God, being true, whence soever this be delivered and gathered, it skilleth not […]"
- 7 To spend acquired points in exchange for skills.
Adjective
- 1 Great, excellent. UK, slang
"Well, unfortunately for you, my dearest Waggipoos, I'm much more skill than you!"
Antonyms
Example
"She has improved her skill in cooking recently."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "skill"?
Common synonyms include: ability, aptitude, competence, proficiency, talent, technique.
How do you use "skill" in a sentence?
She has improved her skill in cooking recently.
How do you pronounce "skill"?
Pronounced /skɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old Norse skil (“a distinction, discernment, knowledge”), from Proto-Germanic *skilją (“separation, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skel (“a separation, boundary, divide”), Swedish skäl (“reason”), Dutch verschil (“difference”) and schillen (“to separate the outer layer (schil) from the product”, verb).
Etymology 2
From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scilian (“to separate, part, divide off”); and partly from Old Norse skilja (“to divide, separate”); both from Proto-Germanic *skilōną, *skiljaną (“to divide, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skille (“to separate, discard”), Swedish skilja (“to distinguish, differentiate, part”), Icelandic skilja (“to understand”), Low German schelen (“to make a difference; to be squint-eyed”), Dutch schelen (“to make a difference”).