mastery Hear it!

mastery Definition

mas·tery (mastər ē, mäs-)

noun pl. -·ter·ies

  1. mastership; rule; control
  2. ascendancy or victory in struggle or competition; the upper hand
  3. masterly ability; expert skill or knowledge his mastery of chess
  4. the act of mastering (an art, science, etc.)

Etymology: ME maistrie < OFr: see master

mastery Synonyms

mastery

n.

  1. Control

    dominance, sovereignty, government, hegemony; see command 2, power 2.

  2. Ability to use to the full

    power, influence, force, backing, skill, cunning, adroitness, capacity, knowledge, expertness, proficiency, genius, adeptness; see also ability 2, education 1.

mastery Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • maturity: Has Zadie Smith's talent blossomed into the mastery of early maturity?
  • genre: TAG: For me, the subject and the mastery of the genre are weighty matters.
  • craft: I had just witnessed greater mastery of a craft than I had previously thought possible - performed by a man squatting in mud.
  • language: From basic skills to a mastery of the language, its all here.
  • technique: The Romans, who had much greater mastery of building techniques, introduced many of their ideas to the British Isles.
  • instrument: Using the most basic guitar he displays a mastery of the instrument.

Converse of object

  • attain: We have far from attained mastery of the methods of planned regulation.
  • regain: Brazil 0 France 1: Zidane regains mastery to tame Brazil Published: 03 July 2006 Pele looked bereft.
  • demonstrate: A Capability Task is designed to allow the student to demonstrate the mastery of the work they have covered in the Resource Tasks.
  • acquire: How he acquired a mastery of banjos is not know, but he would have learned a lot from both Fairbanks and Cole.
  • achieve: The sober effort to achieve such mastery is, of course, exactly what's needed.
  • gain: Family planning is a human effort to control fertility in order to gain mastery of the body.

Adjective modifier

  • effortless: Francis King immediately grabs the reader's attention with an apparently effortless mastery.
  • technical: Jonas has managed to combine technical mastery with feeling, like all the best dancers do.
  • technological: Who does not know from direct experience that the technological mastery of time somehow translates into the increasing PRESSURE of time?
  • complete: Complete mastery of their environment with a freedom of spirit to roam widely across the ocean.
  • sufficient: The genius is that there are sufficient players with sufficient mastery of their instruments that the resulting sound is recognizable.

Modifies a noun

  • orientation: Summary All indications from the research are that we want students to develop mastery orientations toward learning.

Noun used with modifier

  • self: Positive freedom means the freedom of self mastery, rational control over ones own life.
mastery Quotes

Love wol nat been constreyned by maistrye. Whan maistrie comth, the God of Love anon Beteth his wynges, and farewel he isgon!

—Chaucer, Geoffrey

My heart in hiding Stirred for a bird,öthe achieve of, the mastery of the thing!

—Hopkins, SirAnthony

Those who prefer their English sloppy have only themselves to thank if the advertisement writer uses his mastery of vocabularyand syntax to mislead their weak minds.

—Sayers, Dorothy L(eigh)

Browse dictionary entries near mastery

  1. masterwork
  2. masterstroke
  3. mastersinger
  4. mastership
  5. Masters
  6. masterpiece
  7. mastermind
  8. masterly
  9. masterful
  10. masterdom
  1. masthead
  2. mastic
  3. masticate
  4. mastication
  5. masticatory
  6. mastiff
  7. mastigophoran
  8. mastitis
  9. masto-
  10. mastodon