Dexterous means skillful and quick with your hands, able to do precise or complicated tasks smoothly. A dexterous surgeon can tie tiny stitches inside someone's body. A dexterous pianist's fingers fly across the keys without fumbling. When you watch someone shuffle cards expertly or build an intricate LEGO model with ease, you're seeing dexterity in action.

Dexterous doesn't just describe hands: it can mean nimble and clever in any physical way. A dexterous gymnast lands backflips perfectly. A dexterous soccer player weaves through defenders with quick footwork.

You can also use dexterous to describe mental quickness. A dexterous debater thinks fast and responds cleverly to tough questions. A dexterous problem solver finds creative solutions when the obvious approach won't work.

The opposite is clumsy or awkward. Dexterity usually comes from practice: watchmakers, jewelers, and video game champions become dexterous through thousands of hours of developing precise control and quick reactions.