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

Three teens display Office tools mastery Zarrah Griffin of Vilonia High School, Myles Healey of Bald Knob High School and Jack Springer of Cabot High School showed off their Microsoft Office skills this week at the 2025 Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship in Grapevine, Texas. —arkansasonline.com, 22 June 2025

His tire management mastery won the 2024 Belgian GP before Russell was ultimately disqualified for his car being underweight. —Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 20 June 2025

The Craft's ability to run to freedom in this way displayed a mastery of a book they had been forced to study all their life. —Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

One tool for creating conditions of mastery at scale is facilitation. —Chris Williams, Forbes.com, 18 June 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