masterful
/ˈmɑːstəfʊl
/ /ˈmɑːstəf(ə)l/adjective
1Powerful and able to control others: he looked masculine and masterful...
- This was Ireland in dominant mode, masterful and confident in their control as they turned on the style.
- She's very masterful, very domineering and would look great in leather.
- Very few teachers can feel masterful in such a classroom setting.
Synonyms
commanding, powerful, controlling, imposing, magisterial, lordly, authoritative, dominating, domineering, overbearing, overweening, imperious, bossy, peremptory, high-handed, arrogant, autocratic, dictatorial, tyrannical, despotic
informal pushy
2Performed or performing very skilfully: a masterful assessment of the difficulties...
- I loved the first one for its sophisticated camerawork, intricate plot and masterful performances.
- But it wasn't just the kids who loved his masterful two-hour solo performance.
- It's a masterful performance that is easily among his most bare and honest.
Synonyms
expert, adept, clever, masterly;
skilful, skilled, adroit, proficient, deft, dexterous, accomplished, polished, excellent, superb, superlative, consummate, first-rate, peerless, fine
informal crack, stellar, ace
North American badass
Usage
Some writers maintain a distinction between masterful and masterly, using masterful to mean ‘powerful and able to control others’ (a masterful tone of voice) and masterly to mean ‘with the skill of a master’ (a masterly performance). In practice the two words overlap considerably in the second meaning: more than half the citations for masterful in the Oxford English Corpus relate to the sense ‘with the skill of a master’.
Derivatives
masterfulness
/ /ˈmɑːstəf(ə)lnəs / noun ...- And as they move from their audacious overture through sombre ballads, Motown-inflected rock-outs and further Velvetesque anthems, the band's masterfulness becomes more and more apparent.
- And I think you can see the benefits of it in the quality, the masterfulness, of Linda.
- He was a more attractive character than any of the Norman kings - but he lacked their masterfulness.