ambidexterity

noun

am·​bi·​dex·​ter·​i·​ty ˌam-bi-(ˌ)dek-ˈster-ə-tē How to pronounce ambidexterity (audio)
-ˈste-rə-
: the quality or state of being ambidextrous

Examples of ambidexterity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Company – and even national – characteristics of openness, agility and ambidexterity provide a cultural context that promotes innovation. Ted Ladd, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023 There’s a difference between mixed-handedness and the more common phenomenon of ambidexterity. Ben Cohen, WSJ, 14 May 2021 In due course, firms with this ambidexterity became the digital winners of the new era—Amazon, Apple, Facebook Google, Microsoft, and Tesla. Steve Denning, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 But Yeoh has defied this, cultivating a sort of full-body ambidexterity, shifting at will between modes of movement that have lived in her for years. New York Times, 15 Mar. 2022 Myers saw Hickman use it to compensate for the lack of ambidexterity sought in high-level lacrosse midfielders. Nathan Baird, cleveland, 30 Sep. 2021 Garner’s playing technique was defined partly by executing octaves with his right hand, and ambidexterity factored in his work. David Lindquist, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2021 But Hoyle likes the movie beyond Montoya's renowned ambidexterity. Christian Ortega, USA TODAY, 28 July 2021 His ambidexterity and stunning sense of time enabled him not only to render and develop different rhythms in each hand, but also to play his two hands out of sync with one another. John Edward Hasse, WSJ, 15 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

ambidexter "using both hands with equal ease" (or its source, Late Latin ambidexter) + -ity, after dexterity — more at ambidextrous

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambidexterity was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near ambidexterity

Cite this Entry

“Ambidexterity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambidexterity. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

ambidexterity

noun
am·​bi·​dex·​ter·​i·​ty ˌam-bi-(ˌ)dek-ˈster-ət-ē How to pronounce ambidexterity (audio)
plural ambidexterities
: the quality or state of being ambidextrous

More from Merriam-Webster on ambidexterity

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!