Search

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.
Historical Examples

Mr. Ballou was gifted with great logical clearness, aptness, and force.
Fifty Notable Years John G. Adams

As we ran towards the main hatch I recognized the aptness of the comparison.
Romance Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

The mention of the Archbishop suggests another of Page’s talents—the aptness of his letters of introduction.
The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume II Burton J. Hendrick

I marvelled at its aptness, and also that it should have come to me so pat.
The Arrow of Gold Joseph Conrad

Hence, allegories of this nature, though lacking in aptness, are not necessarily wicked and a source of offense.
Commentary on Genesis, Vol. II Martin Luther

There is also an aptness in this selection, which does credit to the ‘Patriarch.’
Phelim O’toole’s Courtship and Other Stories William Carleton

It is possible an aptness for good or evil may be, and often is, inherited from those who have gone before.
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 3, August, 1850. Various

The examples given in the story of the aptness of this remark are often very touching.
Australian Writers Desmond Byrne

Madeira patted Steering’s shoulder again and laughed again, pleased at his aptness in figuring the thing out.
Sally of Missouri R. E. Young

I don’t know how, and I have no aptness for learning that kind of science.
Woman in Prison Caroline H. Woods

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)
n.

1530s, from apt + -ness.
adj.

mid-14c., “inclined, disposed;” late 14c., “suited, fitted, adapted,” from Old French ate (13c., Modern French apte), or directly from Latin aptus “fit, suited,” adjectival use of past participle of *apere “to attach, join, tie to,” from PIE root *ap- “to grasp, take, reach” (cf. Sanskrit apnoti “he reaches,” Latin apisci “to reach after, attain,” Hittite epmi “I seize”). Elliptical sense of “becoming, appropriate” is from 1560s.
admissions per thousand
advanced personnel testing
apartment