gifted

1. 1
   adjective

   Possessing special abilities, especially intellectual ones, well beyond what is usual.

   The gifted young violinist performed with a full orchestra at age ten.

   Teachers quickly noticed how gifted he was at solving complex problems.

   Similartalented, brilliant, able, accomplished, skilled

   Oppositeuntalented, inept

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of gift.

   The donor gifted a large sum to the children's hospital.

   He was gifted a watch by his coworkers when he retired.

   Note

   The verb behind the form means to give something as a present, or to give something away too easily. It shares its spelling with the "talented" adjective. A gifted pianist has talent, while a pianist gifted a piano has received one. In the passive, the recipient becomes the subject: he was gifted a watch. Only the adjective takes more and most, so more gifted never means more generously given.

3. 3
   adjective

   Having the set of psychological characteristics associated with giftedness.

   Psychologists assess whether a child is gifted using both intelligence tests and behavioral observation.

   Many gifted learners experience intense emotions alongside their advanced reasoning skills.

   Note

   Psychology's technical use, in which the word names a profile rather than a single talent. A gifted child in this sense processes information faster, learns concepts quicker and retains knowledge more readily than most. This often comes with heightened emotional intensity and measured intelligence well above the population norm. Keep it apart from the everyday praise for ability: there the word compliments a knack, while here it classifies a person.

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