What does ambidexter mean?
An ambidexter is a person capable of using both hands with equal facility — essentially, a naturally two-handed individual. The word is a noun, formed from the Latin elements ambi- ('on both sides') and dexter ('right-handed' or skillful), and it predates the now-standard adjective 'ambidextrous', which has largely displaced it in everyday use. Beyond its literal meaning, 'ambidexter' carried a striking secondary sense in early modern England: a juror who took money or favors from both sides of a case, playing both hands at once much like a two-handed worker. That figurative use gives the word its historical flavor and makes it appear chiefly in older legal texts and discussions of judicial corruption. Today it is uncommon and slightly formal, encountered mostly in dictionaries, historical writing, and among word enthusiasts. For most purposes English speakers say 'ambidextrous', but 'ambidexter' remains a precise, compact term for the ambidextrous person themselves.
nounA person who is able to use both hands with equal skill or dexterity. Historically, it also referred to a corrupt juror who accepted bribes or favors from both parties in a dispute.
- A person who can use both hands with equal skill and ease.
- (historical) A juror or judge who accepts influence or bribes from both parties to a case.
"The watchmaker was a natural ambidexter, filing one component while steadying another."
"As a surgeon she was a gifted ambidexter, suturing with either hand when the angle demanded it."
"Seventeenth-century legal writers condemned the ambidexter — the juror who pocketed payments from both plaintiff and defendant."
Standard pluralization applies; the plural is rarely used because the word itself is uncommon.
"Both brothers were ambidexters, pitching right-handed and writing left-handed."
Before 'ambidextrous' existed, an 'ambidexter' wasn't just a two-handed wonder — in old English courts, the word could brand a juror who took bribes from both sides of a lawsuit.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ambidexter
Ambidexter comes from Latin ambi- meaning 'both' or 'around' combined with dexter meaning 'right' or 'right-handed' — in Roman culture the right hand was the skillful hand, so dexter came to imply manual skill generally. The word entered English in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, initially denoting a person adept with both hands and soon also acquiring the pejorative legal sense of a bribed juror serving both parties. It shares its roots with the later coinage 'ambidextrous' and with 'dexterous' and 'dexterity'.
Related word forms
How ambidexter is actually used
Rare and somewhat formal or archaic in modern usage; the adjective 'ambidextrous' is overwhelmingly preferred in ordinary speech. The bribery sense survives mainly in historical and legal-historical writing.
Easily confused with ambidexter
Ambidextrous is the far more common adjective describing someone who uses both hands equally well, whereas ambidexter is the rarer noun naming such a person.