apt
[ apt ]
/ æpt /
adjective
inclined; disposed; given; prone: too apt to slander others.
likely: Am I apt to find him at home?
unusually intelligent; able to learn quickly and easily: an apt pupil.
suited to the purpose or occasion; appropriate: an apt metaphor; a few apt remarks on world peace.
Archaic.
prepared; ready; willing.
Origin of apt
1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin
aptus fastened, fitted, fitting, appropriate, equivalent to
ap- fasten, attach +
-tus past participle suffix
synonym study for apt
4.
Apt,
pertinent,
relevant all refer to something suitable or fitting.
Apt means to the point and particularly appropriate:
an apt comment.
Pertinent means pertaining to the matter in hand:
a pertinent remark.
Relevant means directly related to and important to the subject:
a relevant opinion.
usage note for apt
Some usage guides insist that
apt followed by an infinitive can or should be used to mean only “inclined, disposed”:
He is apt to ignore matters he regards as unimportant. In fact,
apt is standard in all varieties of speech and writing as a synonym for
likely in contexts that suggest probability without any implication of a natural disposition toward:
Hostilities are apt to break out if the confrontation is not soon resolved. She is apt to arrive almost any time now. See also
liable,
likely.
OTHER WORDS FROM apt
Words nearby apt
apsidal motion,
apsidiole,
apsis,
apsu,
apsyrtus,
apt,
apt.,
apteral,
apterium,
apterous,
apterygial
Definition for apt (2 of 2)
Example sentences from the Web for apt
British Dictionary definitions for apt (1 of 2)
apt
/ (æpt) /
adjective
suitable for the circumstance or purpose; appropriate
(postpositive; foll by an infinitive)
having a tendency (to behave as specified)
having the ability to learn and understand easily; clever (esp in the phrase an apt pupil)
Derived forms of apt
aptly, adverb aptness, nounWord Origin for apt
C14: from Latin
aptus fitting, suitable, from
apere to fasten
British Dictionary definitions for apt (2 of 2)
apt.
abbreviation for plural apts.
apartment