maestro

noun

mae·​stro ˈmī-(ˌ)strō 

plural maestros or maestri ˈmī-ˌstrē 

: a master usually in an art

especially : an eminent composer, conductor, or teacher of music

Synonyms

• ace
• adept
• artist
• authority
• cognoscente
• connoisseur
• crackerjack
• crackajack
• dab [chiefly British]
• dab hand [chiefly British]
• expert
• fiend
• geek
• guru
• hand
• hotshot
• master
• maven
• mavin
• meister
• past master
• proficient
• scholar
• shark
• sharp
• virtuoso
• whiz
• wizard

Examples of maestro in a Sentence

a maestro of the violin

Recent Examples on the Web

That approach works better, interfering less with the maestro’s performance(s), while sleight of hand allows the actor to appear opposite himself in a handful of scenes. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025

The federal government is, in effect, suddenly being run like an A.I. startup; Musk, an unelected billionaire, a maestro of flying cars and trips to Mars, has made the United States of America his grandest test case yet for an unproved and unregulated new technology. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2025

Photograph: Matthias Balk/Getty Images For 25 years, Chris Anderson has been the maestro of wit, wisdom, and, sometimes, gooey blather that is TED. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 4 Feb. 2025

Yes, this is the lowest grossing weekend of 2025 to date, but not for opera, as the specialty market found its maestro, Ludwig van Beethoven. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, literally, master, from Latin magister — more at master

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

maestro

noun

mae·​stro ˈmī-strō 

plural maestros or maestri -ˌstrē 

: a master of an art and especially of music

Etymology

from Italian maestro, literally "master," from Latin magister "master, one who holds a higher political office" — related to magistrate, master