skilfully
adverb (skilfully — UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland; skillfully — USA)
Everyday
In a way that shows skill and good ability; cleverly and well. tree →
In the lessons
In stories it describes how a character does something with expert hands or clever thinking: skilfully dribbling a ball, skilfully avoiding a question. In school reports it praises good work. It tells the reader the action was done well, not by luck.
Examples
- She skilfully dribbled past three defenders. tree →
- The surgeon skilfully repaired the broken bone. tree →
- The baker skilfully decorated the cake. tree →
- He skilfully changed the subject when we asked about the broken window. tree →
- The story is skilfully written, with a twist at the end. tree →
- The pilot skilfully landed the plane in the wind. tree →
Note
Spelling: UK and Commonwealth «skilful, skilfully» (one l after «ski»); US «skillful, skillfully». Adjective: skilful; noun: skill.
In Jewish tradition
In the Torah it describes the woven band of the priest's ephod, made with expert craft. In Psalms it describes playing music with skill.
Interpretation. The priestly garments are read as holy work that needed true craftsmanship, and each part had its meaning. The tradition reads the verse in Psalms as asking that praise of God be played well and with joy.
Examples
- And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the tunic, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod. (Torah EXO.29.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- And they made two rings of gold, and put them on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod underneath, in the forepart thereof, close by the coupling thereof, above the skilfully woven band of the ephod. (Torah EXO.39.20, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the skilfully woven band, which is upon it, wherewith to gird it on, shall be like the work thereof and of the same piece: of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. (Torah EXO.28.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully amid shouts of joy. (Writings PSA.33.3, JPS 1917) tree →
Note
Spelling: UK and Commonwealth «skilful, skilfully» (one l after «ski»); US «skillful, skillfully». Adjective: skilful; noun: skill.
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «skilfully» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «skilfully» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «skilfully» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «skilfully» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.
This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/skilfully/