It's a skilful card player.
Source: tatoeba (1584571)
Skilful
/ˈskɪlfəl/
Synonyms for "skilful" (33 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (7)
Adjective(4 words)
Strong matches (10)
Related words (16)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: expert, proficient, able, able, accomplished.
- Sentence evidence is available for skilful, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "skilful".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "skilful"
Keep "skilful" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "skilful" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "skilful", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "skilful" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
9 entriesMore specific
9 entriesCollocations
6 entrieshighly skilfulskilful designskilful executionskilful handlingskilful negotiationskilful performance
Inflections
2 entriesmore skilfulmost skilful
Derivations
3 entriessimilar
1 entriesSample sentences
11 total sentences available.
"You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."
Source: tatoeba (6301697)
And when they were grown up, Esau became a skilful hunter, and a husbandman: but Jacob, a plain man, dwelt in tents.
Source: tatoeba (7867851)
Tom is a skilful card player.
Source: tatoeba (7910803)
Showing 4 of 11 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "skilful"?
Closest matches include expert, proficient, able, able, accomplished.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "skilful"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.