verbal dexterity
Skill with language
Verbal dexterity is skill and agility with language—the ability to express ideas fluently, find the right words quickly, and navigate conversations with ease.
It suggests nimbleness rather than mere vocabulary: His verbal dexterity made him a formidable debater.
The phrase often implies cleverness that might shade into glibness or manipulation.
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- word playLinguistic humor technique
- witClever, inventive humor
- reparteeQuick, clever conversation
- eloquencePersuasive verbal grace
quick wit · way with words · banter · double entendre · wordsmith · rhetoric · code-switching · quip · sharp tongue · silver-tongued · smooth talker · war of words · persuasion · quick-witted · turn of phrase · improvisation · vocabulary · storytelling
linguistic fluency
verbal dexteritytongue-tied
Unable to express oneself
inarticulateness · speechlessness · halting speech · stammering · muteness