Adept and adapt look similar, but they serve different purposes. Adept usually describes someone who is very skilled at an activity. Adapt is a verb meaning to change something—or to adjust yourself—because circumstances are different.
Use adept before a noun or after a linking verb such as be or become. When naming the activity, the word commonly appears with at. The activity can be expressed with a noun or an -ing form.
- Our adept technician repaired the machine.
- Jon is adept at finding practical solutions.
Adept can also be a noun for a highly skilled person, as in “She is an adept at negotiation,” but this use is less common in everyday English.
Use adapt when a person, animal, plan, or object changes to fit new conditions. It often appears with to when the sentence names those conditions.
- Most students adapt to the new schedule quickly.
- The team adapted its strategy after the first game.
Adapt can also mean changing a work for a different format, audience, or purpose. For example, a writer might adapt a novel for television.
Compare the main idea in each sentence: “Lena is adept at public speaking” focuses on Lena’s skill. “Lena adapted to speaking online” focuses on her adjustment to a changed situation.