talented

talented — adjective

1. A talented person has a natural ability, especially in a creative field, that al

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

A talented person has a natural ability, especially in a creative field, that allows them to perform much better than most people.

Example

Rachid is a talented guitarist who can play many different styles of music.

talented + noun (guitarist)

The school's talented young athletes won several medals at the competition.

attributive: talented before noun

Common collocations
  • talented musician
  • talented artist
  • talented singer
  • talented writer
  • talented at drawing
  • talented in music
Synonyms
  • gifted

    Overlaps with 'talented' but is more common for intellectual ability; often implies inborn genius rather than developed skill.

  • skilful

    Focuses on practised ability rather than natural talent; a person can be skilful through training alone.

  • accomplished

    More formal; implies high achievement that has been recognised over time.

Antonyms
  • untalented

    Direct opposite; lacking natural ability.

  • unskilled

    Focuses on lack of training or experience rather than lack of natural talent.

Grammar Patterns

be + talented

talented + noun

talented at/in + noun/-ing

Usage Note

Often followed by 'at' or 'in' to show the area of ability: 'talented at drawing', 'talented in mathematics'. More common in creative and performing fields than in academic contexts, where 'gifted' is often preferred.

Common Mistakes

She is a talent singer.
She is a talented singer.
'Talent' is a noun; add '-ed' to form the adjective.
He is very talent in music.
He is very talented in music.
Use the adjective form 'talented' after 'be'.

Word family

  • talent
    nounB1
  • untalented
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe someone who performs well, but they differ in what causes the ability. 'Talented' suggests a natural ability that shows itself early — a talented child may play piano well after just a few lessons. 'Gifted' is closer to 'born with a special intelligence'; gifted children often need a different curriculum. 'Skilful' focuses on what someone has learned through practice — a skilful carpenter may not have started with any special talent. 'Accomplished' is the most formal and implies long-term achievement that others recognise: an accomplished surgeon has years of successful operations behind them. A young athlete might be talented but not yet accomplished; a retired pianist could be accomplished but no longer at peak skill.

talented ↗gifted ↗skilful ↗accomplished ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • talented beyond one's years
  • talented enough to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'talented' comes from 'talent', which entered English from French and Latin. In ancient times a 'talent' was a unit of weight and money. The shift to meaning 'natural ability' came from a Biblical story in which a master gives his servants bags of gold (talents) to use wisely. By the 1600s, English speakers had begun using 'talent' for a God-given gift or ability, and 'talented' soon followed to describe the person who has it.