businesslike
Americanadjective
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conforming to, attending to, or characteristic of business.
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efficient, practical, or realistic.
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capable but unenthusiastic.
adjective
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efficient and methodical
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earnest or severe
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of businesslike
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But the White House account framed the day as a businesslike trade reset.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
“She wasn’t being egotistical. It was very businesslike, a moment of power, and I was like, ‘I want to have that power.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
The senior Ukrainian source told AFP that the tone of rhetoric between the White House and Kyiv was now "very businesslike."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
In front of the world's cameras, the two exchanged warm words, and a businesslike handshake, which set the tone for a generally respectful relationship.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
In her dealings with him she was very bossy and businesslike, treating him in much the same way she handled her kindergarten pupils; he responded in kind, alternately wheedling, affectionate, or sulky.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
