mastery

noun

mas·​tery ˈma-st(ə-)rē How to pronounce mastery (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See All Example Sentences for mastery

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of mastery was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mastery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mastery. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

mastery

noun
mas·​tery ˈmas-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce mastery (audio)
plural masteries
1
: the position or authority of a master
2
3
: skill or knowledge that makes one master of something : command
a mastery of French

More from Merriam-Webster on mastery

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