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
-
With stories focused on surviving rowdy family, moments of loneliness, struggles with faith, and navigating our deepest human relationships, Johnson’s abilities as a pensive storyteller are conducted masterfully.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
22 May 2026
-
Amusingly, the immensely powerful, magical object is treated with nonchalance by the New Age store employees, the tone masterfully shifting from comedy sketch to disturbing horror.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adverb
-
In any case, preventing such an outcome has less to do with the size of America’s munitions stockpile than with coming up with a realistic strategy that skillfully mixes diplomacy, economic statecraft, strong alliances, and a capable military focused on defense rather than global interventionism.—
William Hartung,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
On the Senate floor, they can be seen skillfully maneuvering around lawmakers, stenotype machines hanging from their necks.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
22 May 2026
Adverb
-
That doesn’t bode well for summer road trip plans.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
15 May 2026
-
Several other concerns were raised during the roughly three-hour hearing, including questions about how to best protect visitors and participants from federal immigration raids.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
Soto has capably shifted into the closer role, moving Dennis Santana into setup duty.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Both machines can be configured with enough memory to capably run large language models locally, with less reliance on the cloud.—
Chris Welch,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
In recent years, these programs have been used to process a huge volume of data far more proficiently and efficiently than scientists can manage alone.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
-
Most elementary grades’ reading levels stayed the same from the prior year, with approximately 65% to 69% of students reading proficiently.—
Shawn Datchuk,
The Conversation,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
While the Tory customer of the past felt neatly aligned with the country club aesthetic, the Tory customer today embodies a modern sensibility of polish and dynamism.—
Viv Chen,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Trump’s and Harp’s style fits neatly into the ideal image of the world’s female political leaders, including those in China, Wu said.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
Adverb
-
The exhibition still ably singles out punk artists and groups with Jewish heritage like the Patti Smith Group, Blondie, Richard Hell, the Dictators and Suicide, as well as band managers, label executives, club owners and photographers who were part of the scene.—
Siran Babayan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Driver ably brings the heartbreak in Paper Tiger, though Johansson’s no slouch in a less ornate but no less harrowing role that involves her character having a health scare and having to develop a very different perspective on the future.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
Her makeup, expertly crafted by Suzy Clarke, was pared back in comparison, comprised of doll-like blush and doe eyes.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
-
Built by Wallmakers, the Bridge House spans 100 feet (30 m) across two streams that have carved a 30-ft (7-m) gorge through the landscape, and expertly combines mud, steel and thatch to create a simple yet functional four-bedroom home.—
Stefan Ionescu
May 20,
New Atlas,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Competently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competently. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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