mastery

noun

mas·​tery ˈma-st(ə-)rē 

1

a

: the authority of a master : dominion

b

: the upper hand in a contest or competition : superiority, ascendancy

2

a

: possession or display of great skill or technique

b

: skill or knowledge that makes one master of a subject : command

Synonyms

• proficiency

Examples of mastery in a Sentence

We were impressed by her mastery of the subject.

She achieved a complete mastery of French.

He struggled to gain mastery of his fears.

Recent Examples on the Web

True mastery of the multicloud domain comes not just from building the network, but from truly and completely observing it. —Serge Lucio, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Code Avengers walks you through different mastery levels but mainly focuses on teaching beginners. —Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025

Known for her mastery of scat singing, Jordan was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2012. —Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 5 Sep. 2025

Level three indicates the mastery of grade-level content, according to the snapshot. —Arkansas Online, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maistrie, from Anglo-French mestrie, maistrie, from meistre master

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing mastery

• self-mastery

Kids Definition

mastery

noun

mas·​tery ˈmas-t(ə-)rē 

plural masteries

1

: the position or authority of a master

2

: victory

3

: skill or knowledge that makes one master of something : command

a mastery of French