masterly

/ˈmɑːstəli/

//ˈmɑːstəli// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"masterly" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“masterly” is uncommon English (frequency #55,586 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,586
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Executed in the manner of a master; showing competence and skill; masterful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-masterly · masterly · English

masterly · rank #55,586 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,586
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH marzipan

Nearest frequency peer: marzipan (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “masterly”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “masterly” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for masterly
PropertyValue
Headwordmasterly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɑːstəli/
Letters8
Frequency rank#55,586
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “masterly” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).masterlyfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “marzipan” (#55,585), “masterwork” (#55,587), “masthead” (#55,588). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “masterly” is #55,586. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

masterly is uncommon English at frequency #55,586 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈmɑːstəli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for masterly in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *méǵh₂s From Middle English maisterli, from maister (“leader, ruler; high official; official in charge of a place; person in control; employer; owner; schoolmaster, teacher; scholar, sage; holder of a master's degree; religious teacher; master cra… The correct English form is masterly, spelled M-A-S-T-E-R-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Executed in the manner of a master; showing competence and skill; masterful.
  2. 2
    Like a master; arbitrary; domineering, imperious.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how masterly appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Her years of experience enabled her to render a masterly performance.
  2. He made confeſsion of you, / And gaue you ſuch a maſterly report / For art and exerciſe in your defence, / And for your Rapier moſt eſpeciall, / That he cride out t' would be a ſight indeed / If one could match you; [...]

Etymology

PIE word *méǵh₂s From Middle English maisterli, from maister (“leader, ruler; high official; official in charge of a place; person in control; employer; owner; schoolmaster, teacher; scholar, sage; holder of a master's degree; religious teacher; master craftsman; expert; magician; social superior; husband; lover; Jesus Christ; a god; male stud animal”) + -li (suffix forming adjectives). Maister is derived from Old English mæġester (“master”) and Old French maistre (“master”) (modern French maître), both from Latin magister (“teacher; master”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (“big, great”). The English word is analysable as master + -ly.

This word in other languages

destrísimo(Español)meisterlich(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "masterly"?
"masterly" is spelled M-A-S-T-E-R-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑːstəli/.
What does "masterly" mean?
As an adjective, "masterly" means: Executed in the manner of a master; showing competence and skill; masterful.
How do you pronounce "masterly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "masterly" is /ˈmɑːstəli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "masterly"?
PIE word *méǵh₂s From Middle English maisterli, from maister (“leader, ruler; high official; official in charge of a place; person in control; employer; owner; schoolmaster, teacher; scholar, sage; holder of a master's degree; religious teacher; ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "masterly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

marzipan#55,585masthead#55,588Moldovan#55,599Molinari#55,600

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list