How to Use workmanlike in a Sentence

workmanlike

adjective
  • He did a workmanlike job on the boat.
  • She showed workmanlike thoroughness in everything she did.
  • Sweden is the ultimate in sort of a one-for-all, all-for-one sort of workmanlike group.
    — SI.com, 3 July 2018
  • The metal is workmanlike, but rock is supposed to be a show, and nobody does it better.
    — Adam Lukach, chicagotribune.com, 16 Sep. 2019
  • Its workmanlike efficiency is the truest gap between this film and the rest.
    — Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2020
  • Restoring Hope took his shot and finished where he was supposed to — a workmanlike eighth-place.
    — Fletcher Page, The Courier-Journal, 11 June 2018
  • Service at tables is efficient, but less warm and more workmanlike.
    — Carla Meyer, sacbee.com, 5 May 2017
  • Lovell took a similarly easy, workmanlike approach to all four of his space missions.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 Aug. 2025
  • Murdock wasn’t a combine winner and his pro-day numbers were more workmanlike than anything.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
  • But our group’s been able to just maintain the workmanlike attitude and comeback hockey.
    — Eric Stephens, Orange County Register, 20 June 2017
  • Clues about his creativity shine through the workmanlike surface, though.
    — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2020
  • Until the flood, the Trojans were putting together a workmanlike win.
    — Mark Whicker, Orange County Register, 26 Feb. 2017
  • Cootes made a solid, workmanlike first impression.
    — Harman Dayal, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The main story has a workmanlike quality enlivened by a cast that gives extra depth to its characters.
    — Rick Bentley, kansascity, 31 Aug. 2017
  • The Phillies have praised Eickhoff the last few seasons for his workmanlike attitude.
    — Matt Breen, Philly.com, 9 Mar. 2018
  • Frankly, the plot is workmanlike and unmemorable, but the characters and the issues raised give the finale its heft.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 Dec. 2018
  • On the men’s side, Djokovic, the top seed, felt good enough after his workmanlike first-round victory to do a little dancing.
    — James Martinez, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2019
  • This is the story of how a solid, workmanlike, organised, hard to beat side became champions.
    — SI.com, 14 Mar. 2018
  • Much of it, alas, is workmanlike stuff to sell to the many tourists who come in the summer to visit the lake and Niagara Falls.
    — Eric Asimov, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2018
  • But his workmanlike absorption in the task at hand is precisely what makes this movie fascinating as well as moving.
    — A.o. Scott, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2018
  • This was not just another national title fresh off the assembly line for the coach and his workmanlike program.
    — Laura Goldman, AL.com, 8 Jan. 2018
  • In its own terms, Black Rabbit is a workmanlike Jake, not a visionary Vince.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Bogeys on five of the final eight holes by Faldo enabled Strange to employ his workmanlike game and bask in the sunshine.
    — Jim McCabe, BostonGlobe.com, 10 June 2022
  • In an otherwise clean and workmanlike performance, Jokic struggled to find his touch on pick-and-pop 3s.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Dallek’s is a workmanlike addition to the literature on Roosevelt and covers all the bases.
    — David Nasaw, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2017
  • The Cardinals went to Cincinnati with an attitude and a workmanlike sense of purpose.
    — Bob McManaman, azcentral, 9 Oct. 2019
  • But that bottle of workmanlike Scotch can also contribute its alcohol and flavor to the cooking process.
    — Eric Asimov, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2018
  • The Patriots won three titles in Tom Brady’s first four years as starter, with a stout defense, and workmanlike offense.
    — Albert Breer, SI.com, 8 Mar. 2018
  • These Saints didn't beat themselves and played the game the way it was meant to be played, with poise, workmanlike efficiency and youthful enthusiasm.
    — Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, 20 Jan. 2018
  • While Campbell’s subject matter is compelling, her writing is often workmanlike.
    — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'workmanlike.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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