Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use masterly in a sentence

14 example sentences · adjective, adverb

Masterly means executed in the manner of a master; showing competence and skill; masterful. Example: “Her years of experience enabled her to render a masterly performance.”

Examples of masterly by meaning

adjectiveExecuted in the manner of a master; showing competence and skill; masterful.

  • Her years of experience enabled her to render a masterly performance.
  • This is a masterly work of condensation, omitting nothing of importance and providing a most readable book that for a modest half-crown is incredibly good value.1962 October, “New Reading on Railways: Great Western. By Cecil J. Allen, Ian Allan. 2s 6d.”, in Modern Railways, unnumbered page
  • In 'Une page d'amour' by Emile Zola I found several townscapes painted or drawn in a masterly, masterly fashion – entirely in the sentiment of the simple passage in your letter.2014, Vincent van Gogh, “244 | The Hague, Thursday, 6 July 1882 | To Theo van Gogh (D)”, in Lynne Richards, John Rudge, Diane Webb...

More sentences with masterly

  • May joined Hutton and proceeded to play masterly cricket in which the straight-drive predominated.2009, Steven Lynch, Wisden on the Ashes, page 292. From the entry creeper
  • A grilled pork chop in a smoky maple-mustard demiglaze, served with haricots verts and sweet potato spaetzle, was masterly.2009 July 5, Patricia Brooks, “Experiment in Marrying a Menu to a Music Hall”, in New York Times. From the entry demiglaze
  • Toward the end of the masterly “Negro With a Hat” (as the Napoleonically haberdashed Garvey was derided by W.2008 April 20, Paul Devlin, “Black Star”, in New York Times. From the entry haberdashed
  • Whether indecision will translate into masterly inactivity is another matter.1999 August 19, Mark Milner, The Guardian. From the entry masterly inactivity
  • Tea puts a musician in a real masterly sphere, and that's why so many jazzmen have used it.1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Them First Kicks are a Killer”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 2…. From the entry tea
  • This plan of masterly inactivity had flopped frightfully.1941 March 10, “Peacemongers”, in Time. From the entry masterly inactivity
  • This masterly summary of the Californian Neogene Tertiary deals with both the systematic and œcologic aspects of the fossil faunas.1939, Journal of Microscopy, volumes 59-60, Blackwell Scientific, page 266. From the entry œcologic
  • The pages that constitute "Anna Livia Plurabelle" are surely the most easily decipherable in that masterly and monstrous ragbag of a book.2019 May 14, John Banville, “Colin Farrell Joins the League of High-Profile Narrators of 'A Portrait of the Artist'”, in The New York…. From the entry ragbag
  • He grips with a brisk clench, makes masterly eye contact and tops it off with a light pat on the wrist from his nonshaking hand.2007 April 28, Mark Leibovich, “‘Top Tier’ Candidate? Maybe Not, but Dodd Is Still Enjoying the Ride”, in New York Times. From the entry nonshaking
  • Here is one of the most masterly summing ups of the present industrial warfare 'between men and women that has come to this column.1921 September 1, “Cry on Geraldine’s Shoulder”, in Oakland Tribune, volume XCV, number 53, Oakland, Calif.: Tribune Publishing Co., page…. From the entry summing up
  • It looked quite easy in the masterly hands of the experienced pattern-maker, but the mysteries of dowelling and mortice and tenon were not uncovered in a week or two.1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 341. From the entry tenon

Meaning of masterly

  1. adjective Executed in the manner of a master; showing competence and skill; masterful.
  2. adjective Like a master; arbitrary; domineering, imperious.
  3. adverb In a masterful manner; competently, masterfully.

Full definition of masterly

Questions about masterly in a sentence

How do you use masterly in a sentence?
Masterly is used as an adjective and adverb. For example: “Her years of experience enabled her to render a masterly performance.”
What is a short sentence with masterly?
“This plan of masterly inactivity had flopped frightfully.”
What does masterly mean?
Masterly means executed in the manner of a master; showing competence and skill; masterful.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: masterly (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use masterly in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/masterly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.