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masterful

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
mas·ter·ful  (mstr-fl)
adj.
1. Given to playing the master; imperious or domineering.
2. Fit to command.
3. Revealing mastery or skill; expert: a masterful technique; masterful moviemaking.

master·ful·ly adv.
master·ful·ness n.
Usage Note: According to a widely repeated dictum, masterful should be reserved for the sense "imperious, domineering" (as in a masterful tone of voice), whereas masterly should be the choice when the intended sense is "having the skill of a master" (as in a masterly performance of the sonata). The distinction can serve a useful purpose, but masterful in the latter sense has long been common in reputable writing and cannot be regarded as incorrect.

masterful
Adjective
1. showing great skill
2. domineering or authoritarian
masterfully adv
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.masterfulmasterful - having or revealing supreme mastery or skill; "a consummate artist"; "consummate skill"; "a masterful speaker"; "masterful technique"; "a masterly performance of the sonata"; "a virtuoso performance"
skilled - having or showing or requiring special skill; "only the most skilled gymnasts make an Olympic team"; "a skilled surgeon has many years of training and experience"; "a skilled reconstruction of her damaged elbow"; "a skilled trade"

masterful
adjective 2. domineering, authoritative, dictatorial, bossy (informal) arrogant, imperious, overbearing, tyrannical, magisterial, despotic, high-handed, peremptory, overweening, self-willed << OPPOSITE meek
USAGE In current usage there is a lot of overlap between the meanings of masterful and masterly. According to some, the first should only be used where there is a connotation of power and domination, the second where the connotations are of great skill. Nevertheless, as the Bank of English shows, the majority of uses of masterful these days relate to the second meaning, as in musically, it was a masterful display of the folk singer's art. Anyone wishing to observe the distinction would use only masterly in the context just given, and masterful in contexts such as: his need to be masterful with women was extreme; Alec was so masterful that he surprised himself.
Translations
Spanish masterful [ˈmɑːstəful] adjmagistral, dominante
French masterful [ˈmɑːstəful] adjautoritaire, impérieux/euse
German masterful [ˈmɑːstəful] master adjgebieterisch;
(skilful) → meisterhaft

Italian masterful [ˈmɑːstəful] adjautoritario/a, imperioso/a

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When this mystery, thanks to Rouletabille, was naturally explained, by the help alone of his masterful mind, we were able to realise that the murderer had got away neither by a door, a window, nor the stairs--a fact which the judges would not admit.
When Ming Huang bade the masterful eunuch Kao Li-shih unlace the poet's boots, he gave him a relentless enemy whose malice pursued him, until at length he was glad to beg leave to retire from the court, where he was never at ease and to which he never returned.
He loved her jealously, with an inextinguishable ardour and an insatiable desire - he loved her with a masterful devotion and an infinite trustfulness.
 
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