le doué

Definition & meaning

Doué means gifted, talented, or naturally good at something.

• Il est doué pour la musique. — He is gifted at music.
• Elle est très douée en maths. — She is very good at math.

Grammar & Word origin

Doué is an adjective and the past participle of douer ↗, meaning “to endow.” It agrees with the person or thing it describes:

• Masculine: doué, plural doués
• Feminine: douée, plural douées

It comes from the verb douer ↗, ultimately from Latin dotare, “to endow.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

• talentueux ↗ — talented; often emphasizes demonstrated talent.
• habile ↗ — skilled or dexterous; emphasizes ability rather than natural giftedness.

Antonyms

• maladroit ↗ — clumsy or awkward, especially in physical or social situations.
• nul ↗ — terrible at something; informal and stronger than simply “not gifted.”

Common phrases & collocations

• être doué pour ↗ — to be good at or gifted in something.
• être doué en ↗ — to be good at a subject or field.
• doué de ↗ — endowed with; used with a quality, as in doué de raison ↗, “endowed with reason.”