masterly
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
Commonly Confused
See masterful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of masterly
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English; see origin at master, -ly
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.
The level of indignation, courtesy of the masterly Bellocchio, may be even more than a viewer will be comfortable with; the cynical perspective of so many Milanese jurists is appalling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Writing about the U.N. deliberations on Iraq, Will gushed over Secretary of State Colin Powell’s supposedly sober, masterly and “unhistrionic” presentation.
From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025
Weaver masterly balances both sides of the equation.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
Doig, who received a midcareer retrospective at Tate Britain in 2018, is a figurative painter with a masterly flair for color and light.
From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2024
But the way he said nothing was masterly.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
