as in masterfully
in a skillful or expert manner
performed the piece at least competently, if not superbly
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Recent Examples of competently
Why can’t San Francisco’s officials competently replace its trash cans?
—
Steven Greenhut, Washington Post, 6 May 2026
Outlays old and new need to be justified and competently managed.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Outlays old and new need to be justified and competently managed.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Artificial intelligence is also increasingly capable of operating machinery competently and autonomously, from cars to drones and cameras.
—Christye Sisson, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
The shots are competently composed, the lighting bright, the beats familiar and unchallenging in any way.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
However, the larger question is whether San Diegans should trust anyone at City Hall, starting with Mayor Gloria and City Attorney Heather Ferbert, to competently manage anything.
—Hal Valderhaug, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Power loves a vacuum, and Valerie competently steps in to work with other professionals and guide the process to good, if not great, success.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
Wrike is a deeply customizable project management app that competently handles everything from building forms to proofing, though its costs can be high.
—Ruben Circelli, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Steven Greenhut, Washington Post, 6 May 2026
Outlays old and new need to be justified and competently managed.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Outlays old and new need to be justified and competently managed.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Artificial intelligence is also increasingly capable of operating machinery competently and autonomously, from cars to drones and cameras.
—Christye Sisson, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
The shots are competently composed, the lighting bright, the beats familiar and unchallenging in any way.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
However, the larger question is whether San Diegans should trust anyone at City Hall, starting with Mayor Gloria and City Attorney Heather Ferbert, to competently manage anything.
—Hal Valderhaug, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Power loves a vacuum, and Valerie competently steps in to work with other professionals and guide the process to good, if not great, success.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
Wrike is a deeply customizable project management app that competently handles everything from building forms to proofing, though its costs can be high.
—Ruben Circelli, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competently
Adverb
-
Approximately 160 hours were devoted to diamond setting alone, with artisans hand carving the gold to accommodate each diamond and masterfully setting them into place one by one with tiny tweezers.—
Roberta Naas,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Texture and color are masterfully layered throughout the floor plan, providing an enticing setting for your visit to Mexico’s capital city.—
Bailey Berg,
Architectural Digest,
29 May 2026
Adverb
-
That’s the spousal duo of Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses, songwriters with a splendid sense of how to use mood, melody and skillfully honed lyrics to drive a story forward.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
-
One attendee noted that Power even skillfully covered for a castmate who’d messed up his lines.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
26 May 2026
Adverb
-
According to sources, Thomas was asked to appear as well but ultimately decided not to participate.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
However, the unselfish captain has led MLS in assists so far, which may still bode well for South Korea.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
Adverb
-
Boston College transfer Omar Thornton also is an accomplished safety, but UM used him primarily at nickel cornerback this spring, a role handled capably last season by Keionte Scott, who’s now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
Most notably, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab or CSAIL, directed capably by my colleague Daniela Rus, is in there, where intrepid teams work on such vanguard projects as liquid AI models.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Adverb
-
The sharpest declines were in foundational skills, with 70% of fourth-graders—at least 2 million kids—unable to read proficiently, up from 66% in 2019, and 73% of eighth-graders failing at math proficiency, compared with 67% in 2019.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
-
These are the men and women who will steer the fate of Chicago Public Schools, helping to make decisions that affect whether CPS can get kids reading and writing proficiently and whether the district can stabilize its finances.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
Adverb
-
For Staying Organized A sleek passport holder delivers polished, frequent-flyer energy while keeping travel essentials neatly in one place.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
-
The dark smoked version pairs neatly with schaufele, the pork‑shoulder specialty served at Klosterbrau’s restaurant in the old town.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Adverb
-
As the slightly more sensible Tess, Ginger Minj is the glue of the production, ably carrying the heavy burden of turning the very silly storyline into something broadly coherent.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
9 June 2026
-
Marianna Gailus and Sepideh Moafi (The Pitt) ably perform the others, but Jackman is stunning as a man failing to balance love and lust.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Adverb
-
Rodrigo ties up the album with a bow by expertly calling back to many of its tracks, delivering a rewarding catharsis that feels like finally seeing the other side of a bad break-up.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
Tableside dishes are a highlight, including a seasonal classic Greek salad and mouthwatering whole branzino baked in a coffee-grinds and sea-salt crust, then expertly deboned and served to perfection.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Competently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competently. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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