masterfully

UK: /ˈmɑːstəfəlɪ/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

mas•ter•ful /ˈmæstɚfəl/   adj. 

1. having or showing the qualities of a master;
   authoritative.
2. done well;
   showing mastery;
   masterly:
   a masterful performance.

mas•ter•ful•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mas•ter•ful  (mas′tər fəl, mä′stər-), adj. 

1. dominating;
   self-willed;
   imperious.
2. having or showing the qualities of a master;
   authoritative;
   powerful.
3. showing mastery or skill;
   masterly:
   a masterful performance.

• 1300–50; Middle English; see master, -ful

mas′ter•ful•ly, adv. 
mas′ter•ful•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. peremptory.
• 3. consummate, supreme; adept, expert, skilled, skillful, matchless.

Usage

At an earlier time, both masterful and masterly had two senses: "having a commanding or domineering nature or manner'' and "possessing the skill of a master.'' The earliest sense of masterly, "having a commanding nature,'' has been obsolete since the 18th century. Masterful continues to be used in all varieties of speech and writing in both senses, despite the protests of some who prefer that masterful be restricted to the sense "dominating or imperious'':
The envoy's masterful behavior irritated the citizens.
Few painters have produced so many masterful (or masterly) portraits.