habileté

skill; dexterity

noun ah-bee-luh-TEH Rare

Usage Note

Habileté refers to the quality of being skilled or adept, whether physical (manual dexterity) or intellectual (cleverness in argument). The adjective is habile and the adverb habilement. Note that habileté is distinct from habitude (habit) despite the similar start. A related near-synonym is adresse, which leans more toward manual skill, while habileté can be more broadly cognitive.

Examples

"Son habileté manuelle est remarquable."

Natural Translation

Her manual dexterity is remarkable.

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