overmasterful

mas·ter·ful

[mas-ter-fuhl, mah-ster-]
adjective
1.
dominating; self-willed; imperious.
2.
having or showing the qualities of a master; authoritative; powerful.
3.
showing mastery or skill; masterly: a masterful performance.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English; see master, -ful

mas·ter·ful·ly, adverb
mas·ter·ful·ness, noun
o·ver·mas·ter·ful, adjective
o·ver·mas·ter·ful·ly, adverb
o·ver·mas·ter·ful·ness, noun
un·mas·ter·ful, adjective
un·mas·ter·ful·ly, adverb

masterful, masterly (see usage note at the current entry).


1. peremptory. 3. consummate, supreme; adept, expert, skilled, skillful, matchless.


At an earlier time, both masterful and masterly had two senses: “having a commanding or domineering nature or manner” and “possessing the skill of a master.” The earliest sense of masterly, “having a commanding nature,” has been obsolete since the 18th century. Masterful continues to be used in all varieties of speech and writing in both senses, despite the protests of some who prefer that masterful be restricted to the sense “dominating or imperious”: The envoy's masterful behavior irritated the citizens. Few painters have produced so many masterful (or masterly) portraits.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To overmasterful
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Overmasterful is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Collins
World English Dictionary
masterful (ˈmɑːstəfʊl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  having or showing mastery
2.  fond of playing the master; imperious
3.  masterly
 
usage  The use of masterful to mean masterly as in a masterful performance, although common, is considered incorrect by many people
 
'masterfully
 
adv
 
'masterfulness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

masterful
c.1300, "fond of being a master," from master + -ful. Sense evolved through "having capabilities to command" (c.1400) to "characterized by a master's skill" (1610s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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