workmanlike

adjective

work·​man·​like ˈwərk-mən-ˌlīk 

: characterized by the skill and efficiency typical of a good workman

workmanlike thoroughness

also : competent and skillful but not outstanding or original

… an adequate … reporter who turned out workmanlike copy …

—Tom Clancy

Synonyms of workmanlike

• virtuoso
• skillful
• masterful
• artistic
• smooth
• delicate
• expert

Examples of workmanlike in a Sentence

He did a workmanlike job on the boat.

She showed workmanlike thoroughness in everything she did.

Recent Examples on the Web

The scoring started innocently enough, Stockton marching the team 79 yards on an 11-play workmanlike touchdown drive. — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Feed your head Neagley gets off to a sluggish start, with a workmanlike, rather clumsy first episode largely spent establishing the main characters and central plot—and the writers lean a bit too hard on constant Chicago callbacks. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026

Perhaps why the comparatively slim amount of time spent on Borges’ late-in-life political foibles and fascist sympathizing is so uninspired — restrained, workmanlike, intentionally unprovocative, compulsory. — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Cootes was quick and workmanlike, helping tie it all together. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for workmanlike

• businesslike
• ladylike
• motorbike
• alike
• belike
• birdlike
• catlike
• childlike
• christlike
• deathlike
• dislike
• dreamlike

Kids Definition

workmanlike

adjective

work·​man·​like ˈwərk-mən-ˌlīk 

: worthy of a good worker

did a workmanlike job on the boat