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
Why can’t San Francisco’s officials competently replace its trash cans?
—
Steven Greenhut, Washington Post, 6 May 2026
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
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
Steven Greenhut, Washington Post, 6 May 2026
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
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
-
Drew Brees masterfully rallied Purdue from an 18-point deficit for a 32-31 Boilermakers win in October.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
But Araki has shaded in the margins masterfully, with vivid supporting turns by Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs and the now-ubiquitous Charli XCX.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Adverb
-
Van Dyk shows their arrival from the perspective of the local residents, skillfully conveying the atmosphere particular to the early stages of an occupation.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
-
Schmit skillfully weaves in mental health and the quiet, complicated calculus of coming out in a hyper-public sport.—
Erin La Rosa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Adverb
-
That doesn’t bode well for summer road trip plans.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
15 May 2026
-
Several other concerns were raised during the roughly three-hour hearing, including questions about how to best protect visitors and participants from federal immigration raids.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
Soto has capably shifted into the closer role, moving Dennis Santana into setup duty.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
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
Adverb
-
In recent years, these programs have been used to process a huge volume of data far more proficiently and efficiently than scientists can manage alone.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
-
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
Adverb
-
While the Tory customer of the past felt neatly aligned with the country club aesthetic, the Tory customer today embodies a modern sensibility of polish and dynamism.—
Viv Chen,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Trump’s and Harp’s style fits neatly into the ideal image of the world’s female political leaders, including those in China, Wu said.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
14 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
-
All three expertly play two roles seamlessly.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
Sheryl Underwood expertly executed the punchlines and made the culture the star of her set.—
Malina Saval,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Competently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/competently. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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