SKILLFULLY Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

skillfully

adverb

Definition of skillfully

as in masterfully

in a skillful or expert manner skillfully guided the powerboat around the obstacles

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of skillfully Dolin skillfully weaves these accounts and other materials into a compelling narrative. — Terry W. Hartle, Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 2026 None wielded that weapon more skillfully than the victims and enemies of slavery. — Brian Delay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026 In one of prettiest team goals of this tournament, Ayase Ueda skillfully found Ritsu Doan, who threaded it to Maeda. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 26 June 2026 The staff knows the menu and wine list back to front, and buzz around the dining room quickly and skillfully. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 June 2026 Justin Hale has spent his career helping leaders break that silence—skillfully, humanely, and with lasting results. — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 Sharing skillfully, in ways that foster connection, isn’t always easy, Lyubomirsky and Reis insist. — Jessica Dulong, CNN Money, 16 June 2026 Sudden death couldn’t be helped, of course, but physicians tended skillfully to injuries suffered by the survivors. — Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026 Writer-director Pascal Plante skillfully enhances the themes of his film with a cold, unsettling atmosphere, often implicating us as voyeurs with our own fixation on the dark side of humanity. — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skillfully

Adverb

While traditional tailoring and minimalist silhouettes dominated the red carpet, prospects masterfully personalized their looks.

— Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Son moved fast, especially up the left wing, and arced balls masterfully into the corners of the net.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 24 June 2026

Definition of masterfully

Adverb

Below, browse through lots of loafers fit for easy summer dressing and well beyond.

— Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 7 July 2026
In a statement, an AT&T spokesperson said modern alternatives to copper hold up better during disasters and said landline service wouldn’t be discontinued until at least June 1, 2027.

— Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of well

Adverb

While the new episodes don’t offer quite the same depth of character or adrenaline rush as the original, the show remains a sharply observed, virtuosically acted, and artfully shot study of human behavior at its ugliest.

— Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
The result is a bed that looks tidy and composed rather than slept-in—artfully arranged, and frankly, a little pleased with its own posture.

— Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 1 July 2026

Definition of artfully

Adverb

Meanwhile, a flashback, set vaguely in the Before Times, presents a girl playing with the ragdoll Jessie, a cowgirl and aspirant sheriff, voiced enthusiastically and most capably by Joan Cusack.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 June 2026
Backed by tens of thousands of raucous fans in the Los Angeles area, Bosnia capably hung with Switzerland into the second half — until the hydration break led to a moment of brilliance from Manzambi, a 20-year-old Geneva native who plays for German club Freiburg.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 June 2026

Definition of capably

Adverb

Each one of our lucky clients will be expertly matched with a Skarsgård sibling, which are indeterminate in number.

— Sarah Hutto, New Yorker, 7 July 2026
Piercing the sterility of contemporary life with the disruptive transgression of eroticism, Silver’s film features dreamy fantasy sequences that interrupt and disrupt, drawing us expertly into its characters’ sensual and unusual interiority.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026

Definition of expertly

Adverb

But the real coup is Dippold's command of tone, deftly pivoting between nightmarish, surreal, wickedly funny, and soul-stirring modes, sometimes within single scenes.

— Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026
Even though Clinton’s remarks Saturday received muted response on cable news due to the heatwave and Trump’s excesses, online the former President deftly tapped into the shifts among Democrats for a more combative approach to curb MAGA.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 July 2026

Definition of deftly

Adverb

Getty Images Key Facts During Manhattanhenge, the sunset point is neatly positioned between skyscrapers in Manhattan, New York City.

— Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Feelings from optimism to selfishness to lust are all neatly captured with song and dance.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026

Definition of neatly

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skillful

skillfully

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“Skillfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skillfully. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of skillfully

adverb

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