as in masterfully
in a skillful or expert manner
performed the piece at least competently, if not superbly
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Recent Examples of competently
Outlays old and new need to be justified and competently managed.
—
Editorial, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Outlays old and new need to be justified and competently managed.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Artificial intelligence is also increasingly capable of operating machinery competently and autonomously, from cars to drones and cameras.
—Christye Sisson, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
The shots are competently composed, the lighting bright, the beats familiar and unchallenging in any way.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
However, the larger question is whether San Diegans should trust anyone at City Hall, starting with Mayor Gloria and City Attorney Heather Ferbert, to competently manage anything.
—Hal Valderhaug, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Power loves a vacuum, and Valerie competently steps in to work with other professionals and guide the process to good, if not great, success.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
But the speed and the solidarity with which states came forward suggest the states don’t feel like the DOJ acted competently.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Wrike is a deeply customizable project management app that competently handles everything from building forms to proofing, though its costs can be high.
—Ruben Circelli, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Editorial, Boston Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Outlays old and new need to be justified and competently managed.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
Artificial intelligence is also increasingly capable of operating machinery competently and autonomously, from cars to drones and cameras.
—Christye Sisson, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
The shots are competently composed, the lighting bright, the beats familiar and unchallenging in any way.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
However, the larger question is whether San Diegans should trust anyone at City Hall, starting with Mayor Gloria and City Attorney Heather Ferbert, to competently manage anything.
—Hal Valderhaug, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Power loves a vacuum, and Valerie competently steps in to work with other professionals and guide the process to good, if not great, success.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
But the speed and the solidarity with which states came forward suggest the states don’t feel like the DOJ acted competently.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Wrike is a deeply customizable project management app that competently handles everything from building forms to proofing, though its costs can be high.
—Ruben Circelli, PC Magazine, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for competently
Adverb
-
This layer cake masterfully balances salty and sweet.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
1 May 2026
-
The Doll Factory masterfully transforms the excellent best-selling novel into a gripping and darkly beautiful series.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Athletic departments that skillfully use data will be able to bridge some, but not all, of the financial gap separating them from opponents, Sabin said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Flashbacks are deployed as more than mere framing devices, since the past plays an active, exciting role in the town’s present, and there’s an extended drug trip that skillfully manipulates lapsed time through recurring blackouts to keep you on the edge of your seat.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
In light of federal immigration crackdowns, funding cuts and rollbacks to civil rights protections and oversight, how can California better serve vulnerable student populations, including those who are immigrants, are LGBTQ+ and have disabilities?—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
The tension was best presented throughout the third period, as Minnesota had 11 shots on goals to just one from Montreal.—
Theodore Tollefson,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2026
Adverb
-
Both machines can be configured with enough memory to capably run large language models locally, with less reliance on the cloud.—
Chris Welch,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
-
Both boys testified that Jackson had masturbated in front of them and molested Gavin on several occasions, but Jackson’s defense capably pointed out various inconsistencies in their stories and presented impeaching witnesses.—
Amelia McDonell-Parry,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Most elementary grades’ reading levels stayed the same from the prior year, with approximately 65% to 69% of students reading proficiently.—
Shawn Datchuk,
The Conversation,
23 Apr. 2026
-
There are two elements to DeLauter’s swing, Fink said, that make something that looks so unorthodox work so proficiently.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
On the table beside him sat the morning edition of the Orlando Sentinel, folded neatly the way only longtime newspaper readers fold a newspaper.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
In the kitchen alone, there were hundreds of plates, cups, bowls, platters, glasses, pitchers, vases, and cutlery, impressively organized by type and boxed up in sets, with prices neatly marked on matching labels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
Adverb
-
As Harry, Northeast Minneapolis product Nick Dillenburg ably captures a man who worries his best days are behind him, while Ryan Hallahan brings a wise and wary air to Draco.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
30 Apr. 2026
-
After all, Denver has all five starters back from last year, is paying all of them handsomely and has built a developmental group in Palczewski, Crum and Forsyth behind that have all stepped into games ably.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Through the band members’ stories, Méndez guides readers expertly through a historical landscape that may be unfamiliar to them and examines thought-provoking ideas about art and protest.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
Carlsson and Terry transported the puck expertly through the neutral zone, opening up the entire right wing for Kreider.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Competently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competently. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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