masterful
adjective
masterful is spelled M-A-S-T-E-R-F-U-L: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, masterful means “Of or pertaining to the manner of a master of an art, technique, profession, or craft; masterly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in masterful?
| Letters | 9: M-A-S-T-E-R-F-U-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is masterful?
Masterful appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce masterful?
- US
Masterful has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-masterful.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of masterful
- more masterful comparative
- most masterful superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does masterful mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the manner of a master of an art, technique, profession, or craft; masterly.
The brushwork on the skin tones was masterful.
- 2
In the manner of a master; very skillful.
The masterful conducting ensured the orchestra gave of their best.
- 3
Having or showing the qualities of a master vis-à-vis a dependent or subordinate; authoritative; domineering.
...it was that he is so masterful. I found that he wouldn't let me go my own way.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Masterful in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense adjective:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | destrísimo, diestrísimo, señoril |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does masterful come from?
From Middle English maysterful, maistrefull, equivalent to master + -ful.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).