Join free

skill

English · Italiano · Thesaurus

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

skill¹

  • /skɪl/
  • [skɪɫ] UK, US
  • [skɪo̯]
  • [skɪʊ̯]
  • [skiːo̯]
  • [skiːʊ̯]

Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

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).

noun skills · skil

  1. countable, uncountable A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. Where did you pick up that skill?

    Similar: ability

  2. countable, uncountable A reusable configuration (prompt) that defines how an AI agent performs a specific task.
  3. countable, obsolete, uncountable Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause. 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. countable, obsolete, uncountable Knowledge; understanding. And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew The salvage minds with skill of just and trew;
  5. countable, obsolete, uncountable Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address. 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.

Similar: ability, technique, aptitude, capacity, craft, capability, competency, competence, cunning, dexterity, ease, facility, hand, knack, list, prowess, moxie, potential, proficiency, skill, talent, tekkers, touch · Opposite: incompetence, inability, ineptitude

adjective skiller · skillest · skil

  1. UK, slang Great, excellent. Well, unfortunately for you, my dearest Waggipoos, I'm much more skill than you!

skill²

  • /skɪl/
  • [skɪɫ] UK, US
  • [skɪo̯]
  • [skɪʊ̯]
  • [skiːo̯]
  • [skiːʊ̯]

Rhymes with -ɪl

Where it comes from

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”).

verb skills · skilling · skilled

  1. transitive To set apart; separate.

    Similar: split

  2. dialectal, transitive To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to). I cannot skill of these Thy ways […]
  3. Northern England, Scotland, dialectal, rare, transitive To know; to understand. As for the virginals I have none here that skill of them, except the young lord.
  4. intransitive To have knowledge or comprehension; discern.
  5. intransitive To have personal or practical knowledge; be versed or practised; be expert or dextrous.
  6. archaic, intransitive To make a difference; signify; matter. 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.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: accomplishment, acquirement, acquisition, attainment, science, expertise, competence, competent, proficiency, knowledge, know-how, knowhow, specialization, qualification, knack, specialty

noun

Similar: ability, technique, aptitude, capacity, craft, capability, competency, competence, cunning, dexterity, ease, facility, hand, knack, list, prowess, moxie, potential, proficiency, skill, talent, tekkers, touch · Opposite: incompetence, inability, ineptitude

Translations

Every language

noun capacity to do something well

Españoldestreza, habilidad, maña, talento, primor, pericia
한국어기술 gisul, 스킬 seukil
日本語腕 ude, 技 waza, 技能 ginō, 技巧 gikou, 技術 gijutsu, スキル sukiru
中文技巧 jìqiǎo, 技能 jìnéng, 技術 /技术 jìshù
हिन्दीकुशलता kuśaltā, कौशल kauśal, निपुणता nipuṇtā, महारत mahārat
Portuguêshabilidade, talento
Françaishabileté, compétence, don, capacité
DeutschFähigkeit, Fertigkeit, Geschicklichkeit
Italianoabilità, capacità, competenza
Ελληνικάεπιδεξιότητα epidexiótita, δεξιοτεχνία dexiotechnía, ικανότητα ikanótita
Românăabilitate, pricepere
Русскийуме́ние uménije, на́вык návyk, мастерство́ masterstvó, сноро́вка snoróvka, иску́сство iskússtvo, спосо́бность sposóbnostʹ
العربيةمَهَارَة mahāra
עבריתמְיֻמָּנוּת meyumanút, כִּשּׁוּרִים kishurím

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"skill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/skill. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

skill. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/skill

Chicago

"skill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/skill.

BibTeX
@misc{skill_2026,
  title = {skill},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/skill},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}