mastery

play

noun mas·tery \ ˈmas-t(ə-)rē \

Definition of mastery

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

See mastery defined for English-language learners

See mastery defined for kids

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 of mastery from the Web

A product of the English-speaking elite who rarely spoke Chinese dialects, including Mandarin, Mr. Lee held the popular idea, discredited by linguists, that language was a zero-sum game: speaking more of one meant less mastery of another.

— ian johnson, New York Times, "In Singapore, Chinese Dialects Revive After Decades of Restrictions," 26 Aug. 2017
Fully participating in the activity of cleaning provides a distraction and leads to a sense of mastery.

— dana hamilton, Teen Vogue, "7 Tips to Help Cope With Your Eating Disorder," 16 Aug. 2017
This is why even the many journalists who did not agree with most of what Henry Kissinger was doing in government were always respectful of his brilliant articulation, mastery of the dossiers, and irresistible sense of humor.

— conrad black, National Review, "White House Shakeup," 1 Aug. 2017
The GOP has built a formidable coalition through its mastery of white middle class — and conservative Christian — identity politics.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Democrats Can Abandon the Center — Because the Center Doesn’t Exist," 30 July 2017
He and his dance ensemble display their rhythmic mastery on the Ford Theatres stage for one night.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 14 July 2017
He and his dance ensemble display their rhythmic mastery on the Ford Theatres stage for one night.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 14 July 2017
He and his dance ensemble display their rhythmic mastery on the Ford Theatres stage for one night.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 14 July 2017
One difficulty was finding language experts, notably with mastery of Russian and Chinese, the languages of two countries whose increasingly central role has shaken up an old world order dominated by U.S. military might.

— reuters, Fortune, "Help Needed: France’s Spy Agency Is Looking for Tech Pros and Linguists," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mastery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.