talent

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
• • •
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.
• • •
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. | communication/language/computer etc skills | 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. | She showed a talent for acting from an early age. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | He has a knack for making people feel relaxed.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

talent

tal·ent [talent talents] [ˈtælənt] [ˈtælənt] noun
1. countable, uncountable a natural ability to do sth well
• to have great artistic talent
• a man of many talents
• ~ (for sth/for doing sth) She showed considerable talent for getting what she wanted.

• a talent competition/contest/show (= in which people perform, to show how well they can sing, dance, etc.)

2. uncountable, countable people or a person with a natural ability to do sth well
• There is a wealth of young talent in British theatre.

• He is a great talent.

3. uncountable (BrE, slang) people who are sexually attractive
• He likes to spend his time chatting up the local talent.
Word Origin:
Old English talente, talentan (as a unit of weight), from Latin talenta, plural of talentum ‘weight, sum of money’, from Greek talanton. The current sense is a figurative use based on the parable of the talents in the Bible (Matt. 25:14–30).
Example Bank:
• Hard work is important, but it is no substitute for raw talent.
• He has been putting his artistic talents to good use.
• He is a violinist of exceptional talent.
• Her talents lay in organization.
• His parents accused him of wasting his talents and abilities.
• Hollywood directors have a marvellous pool of acting talent to draw from.
• It takes real talent to write a great pop song.
• She has a keen eye for spotting talent.
• The banquet gave the chef a chance to flaunt his talents.
• The boy has undoubted talent.
• The company is always looking out for new talent.
• The festival attracts talent from all over the world.
• The theatre visits schools to tap young talent.
• There is a shortage of new comedy talent coming through.
• There is a wealth of talent out there in our schools.
• United have unearthed a real talent in this young defender.
• We are losing our top talent to other countries who pay more.
• Where does her musical talent come from?
• You have a natural talent for storytelling.
• an effort to develop his creative talents to the full
• kids with musical talent
• one of the few teams that relies on home-grown talent
• As a boy, Elvis was entered for a talent contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair.
• He's a man of many talents.

• She has great artistic talent.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

talent / ˈtæl. ə nt / noun [ C or U ] (NATURAL ABILITY)

B1 (someone who has) a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught:

Her talent for music showed at an early age.

His artistic talents were wasted in his boring job.

talentless / -ləs / adjective

talent / ˈtæl. ə nt / noun [ U ] UK slang mainly humorous (ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE)

people who are sexually attractive:

There was plenty of talent at the party last night.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

talent

[tæ̱lənt]
talents
N-VAR: oft N for n
Talent is the natural ability to do something well.
→ See also talent show
  She is proud that both her children have a talent for music...
  The player was given hardly any opportunities to show off his talents...
  He's got lots of talent.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

talent

tal·ent /ˈtælənt/ noun, pl -ents
1 : a special ability that allows someone to do something well

[noncount]

• a singer with an enormous amount of talent
• I have no musical talent.
• Her artistic/creative talent has been obvious ever since she was a child.
• athletic talent
• a person of talent = a person who has talent
• They sang a duet in the talent show/contest.

[count]

• She has a job that makes the most of her talents.
• His experience, skills, and talents make him perfectly suited for the job.
• He has many talents. = He's a man of many talents.
• He seems to have a talent for getting into trouble. [=he often gets into trouble]
2 : a person or group of people with a special ability to do something well : a talented person or group

[count]

• There are many good players on the team, but she's a special talent.

[noncount]

• The company has hired some expensive legal talent for the trial.
• The team has recruited some of the best talent around.
• The company is doing a talent search to find the right person for the job.
3 [noncount] Brit slang : people who are sexually attractive
• checking out the local talent