Phrase guide

green thumb

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A natural skill for gardening.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, idiomatic

Examples

  • Wow, did you plant this entire garden on your own? You really must have a green thumb.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: green fingers

Antonyms: black thumb, brown thumb

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person with this skill.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

Examples

  • I should ask the green thumb next door what she recommends for my droopy daffodils.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a special ability to make plants grow

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: green fingers

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: forte, strong suit, long suit, metier, specialty, speciality, strong point, strength

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Danish: grønne fingre — skill
  • Dutch: groene vingers — skill
  • French: main verte — skill
  • French: pouce vert — skill
  • German: grüner Daumen — skill
  • German: grüne Hand — skill
  • Italian: pollice verde — skill
  • Polish: smykałka do roślin — skill
  • Russian: садово́дческое иску́сство (sadovódčeskoje iskússtvo) — skill
  • Swedish: gröna fingrar — skill
  • Tagalog: berdeng hinlalaki — skill
  • Dutch: iemand met groene vingers — person
  • Finnish: viherpeukalo — person
  • French: quelqu'un qui a la main verte — person
  • French: une personne qui a la main verte — person
  • German: grüner Daumen — person
  • Italian: pollice verde — person
  • Polish: rośliniarz — person
  • Russian: иску́сный садово́д (iskúsnyj sadovód) — person