Standard Lemma guide

workmanlike

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈwɜː(ɹ)kmənlaɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: W ER1 K M AE2 N L AY2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Resembling or characteristic of a workman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Done competently but without flair.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 2002, Tom Friedman, Germano Celant, Fondazione Prada (Milan, Italy), Mario Perniola, Tom Friedman, Progetto Prada Arte The tandem arrangement does not misuse Close, for he has gotten decades of acclaim for a tedious, workmanlike art.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Performed with the skill of an artisan or craftsman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

worthy of a good workman

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a competent job
  • the book is a workmanlike job with chronology and bibliography and index

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English workman Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-West Germanic *-līk Old English -līċ Middle English -like English -like English workmanlike From workman + -like.