Proficiency
Proficiency noun - A highly developed skill in or knowledge of something.
Usage example: surprised by his proficiency at the game after only the briefest explanation of the rules
Skill is a synonym for proficiency in ability topic. In some cases you can use "Skill" instead a noun "Proficiency", when it comes to topics like experience, agility, fitness, qualifications. popular alternative
Nearby Words: proficient, proficiently
Skill
Skill noun - Subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something.
Usage example: with unbelievable skill, the expert in origami transformed a few sheets of paper into a menagerie of exotic animals
Proficiency is a synonym for skill in ability topic. You can use "Proficiency" instead a noun "Skill", if it concerns topics such as experience, agility, fitness, qualifications. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- experience and proficiency
- experience and skill
- ability and proficiency
- ability and skill
- knack and proficiency
- knack and skill
- technique and proficiency
- technique and skill
- talent and proficiency
- talent and skill
- deftness and proficiency
- deftness and skill
- facility and proficiency
- facility and skill
How words are described
| high | high proficiency | high skill |
| physical | physical proficiency | physical skill |
| full | full proficiency | full skill |
| low | low proficiency | low skill |
| Other adjectives: special, equal, natural, powerful, actual, real, extreme, great, remarkable, incredible, mundane, deadly, less, extra, highest, amazing, greater, basic, martial, magical, technical. | ||
Both words in one sentence
- Solars are just as unpleasant, albeit more focused on technical skill and proficiency than weird Primordial power.
Source: Stronger Than They Look - Alpha Protocol uses a system similar to Mass Effect in that your skill points both improve your proficiency directly and, at predefined points along the tree, grant access to special actions such as Bullet Time or HUD indicators as to enemies' location, disposition, and facing.
Source: Skill Scores and Perks -
The Spycraft system, which runs primarily on skills and a skill-focus/proficiency system, hits this intentionally very, very hard.
Cite this Source
Skill and Proficiency. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/proficiency/skill
Proficiency & Skill. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/proficiency/skill>.
Skill or Proficiency. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/proficiency/skill.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "proficiency" and "skill" have occurred on timeline