masterful

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Take along our Concise Dictionary of English Usage and find out!
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?conusg.htm&6
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The Word of the Day for July 3 is: 

masterful   \MASS-ter-ful\   adjective 
     1 a : inclined and usually competent to act as master  *b : suggestive of 
a domineering nature
     2 : having or reflecting the power and skill of a master

Example sentence: 
     "He was a fellow of huge physical strength, masterful, violent, with a 
certain barbaric thrift and some intelligence of men and business." (Robert 
Louis Stevenson, _In the South Seas_) 

Did you know?  
     Some commentators insist that "masterful" must only mean "domineering," 
reserving the "expert, skillful" sense for "masterly." The distinction is a 
modern one. In earlier times, the terms were used interchangeably, with each 
having both the "domineering" and "expert" senses. The "domineering" sense of 
"masterly" fell into disuse around the 18th century, however, and in the 20th 
century the famous grammarian H. W. Fowler decided that "masterful" should be 
similarly limited to a single meaning. He summarily ruled that the second 
definition of "masterful" was incorrect. Other usage writers followed his lead. 
The "expert" meaning of "masterful" has continued to flourish in standard 
prose, however, in spite of the disapproval. And, considering the sense's long 
history, it cannot really be called an error. 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.