consummate

¹con·sum·mate

adj \ˈkän(t)-sə-mət, kən-ˈsə-mət\

Definition of CONSUMMATE

1

: complete in every detail : perfect

2

: extremely skilled and accomplished <a consummate liar> <a consummate professional>

3

: of the highest degree <consummate skill> <consummate cruelty>

— con·sum·mate·ly adverb

Examples of CONSUMMATE

1. He plays the piano with consummate skill.
2. <consummate cabinetmakers, they produced desks and chests of drawers that are now regarded as masterpieces of American furniture>
3. “How dare you!” Natalie screamed, in consummate frustration … —Joseph Wambaugh, The Black Marble, l978
4. … Berg, the consummate schmoozer, was the perfect spy for the job. —Dick Teresi, New York Times Book Review, 24 July 1994
5. To thrive in science, you must be both a consummate collaborator and a relentless competitor. —Natalie Angier, New York Times Book Review, 6 Nov. 1988
6. The rest of his life (he lived for a few more years) was one great consummate silence. —R. K. Narayan, “Under the Banyan Tree,” in The Story and Its Writer, edited by Ann Charters, 1987

Origin of CONSUMMATE

Middle English consummat fulfilled, from Latin consummatus, past participle of consummare to sum up, finish, from com- + summa sum

First Known Use: 1527

Related to CONSUMMATE

Synonyms: accomplished, ace, adept, compleat, complete, proficient, crack, crackerjack, educated, experienced, expert, good, great, master, masterful, masterly, practiced (also practised), professed, skilled, skillful, versed, veteran, virtuoso

Antonyms: amateur, amateurish, inexperienced, inexpert, jackleg, unprofessional, unseasoned, unskilled, unskillful

Related Words: adroit, clever, deft, dexterous (also dextrous), handy, slick, sure-handed; gifted, talented; polished, refined; effective, effectual, efficient, workmanlike; able, capable, competent, employable, fit, fitted, habile, qualified; educated, knowledgeable, schooled, taught, trained, tutored; all-around (also all-round), well-rounded; long-term, old; multiskilled, multitalented

Near Antonyms: incapable, incompetent, inept, unable, unfit, unfitted, unqualified, weak; artless, crude, rude; ineffective, ineffectual, inefficient; talentless, ungifted, untalented; ignorant, unschooled, untaught, untrained, untutored; beginning, green, inexperienced, new, raw, unseasoned, untested, untried, would-be; primitive, rough, unpolished; awkward, clumsy, ham-fisted, ham-handed, heavy-handed

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