-apt-

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

apt /æpt/   adj. 

1. likely;
   having a tendency:
   [be + ~ + to + verb] It's apt to be cold in the evenings.
2. being quick to learn;
   bright:
   a very apt pupil.
3. suited to the purpose or occasion;
   suitable:
   an apt metaphor.

apt•ly, adv. 
apt•ness, n. [uncountable] See -apt-.

apt.,  an abbreviation of:

1. apartment.

-apt-, root. 

1. -apt- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "fit, proper.'' This meaning is found in such words as: adapt, apt, aptitude, inept.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

apt  (apt), adj. 

1. inclined;
   disposed;
   given;
   prone:
   too apt to slander others.
2. likely:
   Am I apt to find him at home?
3. unusually intelligent;
   able to learn quickly and easily:
   an apt pupil.
4. suited to the purpose or occasion;
   appropriate:
   an apt metaphor; a few apt remarks on world peace.
5. [Archaic.] prepared;
   ready;
   willing.

• Latin aptus fastened, fitted, fitting, appropriate, equivalent. to ap- fasten, attach + -tus past participle suffix
• Anglo-French)
• Middle English (1350–1400

apt′ly, adv. 
apt′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. liable.
• 2. See likely. 
• 3. clever, bright; adaptable; handy, adroit, dexterous, skillful.
• 4. fitting, meet, germane, felicitous.
  Apt, pertinent, relevant all refer to something suitable or fitting.
  Apt means to the point and particularly appropriate:
  an apt comment.
  Pertinent means pertaining to the matter in hand:
  a pertinent remark.
  Relevant means directly related to and important to the subject:
  a relevant opinion.

Usage

Some usage guides insist that apt followed by an infinitive can or should be used to mean only "inclined, disposed'':
He is apt to ignore matters he regards as unimportant.
In fact, apt is standard in all varieties of speech and writing as a synonym for likely in contexts that suggest probability without any implication of a natural disposition toward:
Hostilities are apt to break out if the confrontation is not soon resolved.
She is apt to arrive almost any time now.
See also liable. 

apt., pl. apts. 

1. apartment.