tal ‧ ent W3 /ˈtælənt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Origin: talent unit of weight or money in the ancient world (9-21 centuries) , from Latin talentum , from Greek talanton ; from a story in the Bible in which a man gives talents to his three servants, and two of them use them well ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] a natural ability to do something well:
He has a lot of talent, and his work is fresh and interesting.
talent for
She showed a talent for acting at an early age.
a persuasive speaker with a natural talent for leadership
His latest book reveals hidden talents.
Sadly, she inherited none of her father’s musical talent.
Your brother is a man of many talents.
There’s a wealth of talent in English football.
talent for
She showed a talent for acting at an early age.
2 . [uncountable] a person or people with a natural ability or skill:
Britain’s footballing talent
3 . [uncountable] British English informal sexually attractive people
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have talent
Greg has a real talent for drawing.
▪ show talent
Zach was the only one who showed any natural talent.
▪ use your talents
They have been using their artistic talents to brighten up the school.
▪ develop your talent
Education allows people to develop their talents to the full.
▪ waste your talents
They felt their son was wasting his talents and his time.
▪ sb’s talents flourish (=develop successfully)
The school created an atmosphere in which young talent could flourish.
■ adjectives
▪ great/considerable/exceptional talent
He had a great talent for making money.
▪ real talent
She has real talent and with a little help she could go far.
▪ natural talent
Ronaldo is a player of immense natural talent.
▪ raw talent (=used to describe someone with natural ability who has not had much training)
He’s got lots of raw talent but he needs a good coach.
▪ a hidden talent
Have a go – you may discover a hidden talent!
▪ musical/artistic/creative etc talent
It was at school that Brian’s musical talents were spotted.
■ talent + NOUN
▪ a talent contest/show/competition
Don’t assume winning a talent contest is a passport to success.
■ phrases
▪ a wealth of talent (=a large amount of talent)
There’s a wealth of musical talent in New York and other large American cities.
▪ a pool of talent (=lots of talented people)
Employers can draw on an enormous pool of talent in this area.
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THESAURUS
▪ skill [uncountable and countable] an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practised it:
He plays the piano with great skill.
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communication/language/computer etc skills
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The course will help you improve your communication skills.
▪ talent [uncountable and countable] a natural ability to do something well which can be developed with practice:
She was a young artist with a lot of talent.
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She showed a talent for acting from an early age.
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He is a man of many talents.
▪ genius [uncountable] very great ability, which only a few people have:
The opera shows Mozart’s genius as a composer.
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Picasso was a painter of genius.
▪ gift [countable] a natural ability to do something very well, which you were born with:
You can see that he has a gift for the game.
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Winterson has great gifts as a writer.
▪ flair [singular, uncountable] skill for doing something, especially something that needs imagination and creativity:
The job does require some creative flair.
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She has a flair for languages.
▪ expertise [uncountable] specialized knowledge of a technical subject, which you get from experience of doing that type of work:
The technical expertise for building the dam is being provided by a US company.
▪ a/the knack /næk/ [singular] informal a special skill for doing a particular thing, especially a simple everyday thing:
Breadmaking is easy once you get the knack.
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He has a knack for making people feel relaxed.