1
as in virtuoso
accomplished with trained ability
a masterful performance of a difficult piece for the violin
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in authoritarian
fond of ordering people around
a masterful coworker who liked to tell other people how to do their jobs
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
a masterful businesswoman who didn't hesitate to step on a lot of people as she climbed the ladder of success
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in skillful
having or showing exceptional knowledge, experience, or skill in a field of endeavor
a president who was celebrated as a masterful communicator of his administration's policies
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of masterful
While last week’s storm never erupted into thunder, musical lightning struck twice here with yet another exuberant, water-resistant stand by Guerrero on Wednesday, followed by a masterful account of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 on Friday.
—
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
The film is carried by a singular perspective, a talent for writing, for directing, and a masterful sense of framing.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Latour was masterful in the pitching circle, twirling a complete-game shutout while scattering four hits and striking out eight in a 4-0 win for D-R. Latour came through at the plate, too, notching two hits and an RBI.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 12 June 2025
Under a masterful ride from jockey Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent simply ran them off their feet and rolled home two and a half lengths to the good.
—Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for masterful
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
The film is carried by a singular perspective, a talent for writing, for directing, and a masterful sense of framing.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 22 May 2025
Latour was masterful in the pitching circle, twirling a complete-game shutout while scattering four hits and striking out eight in a 4-0 win for D-R. Latour came through at the plate, too, notching two hits and an RBI.
—Greg Dudek, Boston Herald, 12 June 2025
Under a masterful ride from jockey Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent simply ran them off their feet and rolled home two and a half lengths to the good.
—Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for masterful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterful
Adjective
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The country is not like other countries that have had authoritarian histories.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
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The Iranian state is a competitive authoritarian system with institutions that have evolved over a century.—
Narges Bajoghli,
Time,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
The protests proved conclusively that Americans will not tolerate the deployment of the U.S. military in American cities, the constant line-stepping over constitutional boundaries, the arrests of political dissenters, or the arrogant defense of police-state tactics.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
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In Aesop’s fable, the turtle (traditionally called a tortoise, which is a type of turtle) is a winner, a perpetual underdog who defeats the arrogant hare.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Finnegans Wake, in his skillful hands, is a tapestry of all the works Joyce ever wrote, the final and protracted project of a writer who could never stop thinking about Ireland.—
Eric Bulson,
The Atlantic,
16 June 2025
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Their smart, aggressive defense disorients even the smoothest spacing and the most skillful shooters.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Do the expert speakers have seats and water at their disposal? Are the speaking notes or teleprompters in place?—
Adrian Dearnell,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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Wing will share practical tools and give expert insight on keeping families safe from online predators, cyber-bullying, digital threats and more.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Despite his character's domineering presence, Morse told ScreenRant there's more than meets the eye.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
18 June 2025
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It was then put to Tuchel that the show’s host Adrian Durham has friends who think England would be better off without Bellingham in the team, referring to that domineering personality.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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The dining room’s massive plate glass windows look onto the busy Via del Tritone for superior people watching without the exhaust and noise of traffic.—
Katie Kelly Bell,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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The first trailer for the game begins with a conversation between M, Bond’s classic superior and occasional foil, and Greenway, an original character described by IO Interactive’ website as a mentor figure (although no voice actors for the roles have been announced).—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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China has also been adept at dominating supply chains from beginning to end.—
Caitlin Babcock,
Christian Science Monitor,
17 June 2025
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The sophisticated cybercriminals who design these counterfeit websites are also adept at manipulating the algorithms that determine a high position in a search engine search.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Mueller serves as the artistic director of the Film Art Research Centre at Shanghai University.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 June 2025
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And of course, there’s plenty of room for artistic impression.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Masterful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterful. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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