Businesslike

adj

adj ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Methodical and efficient, in a way that would be advantageous to a business or businessperson.

    "The gunners stood by the guns waiting, and the ammunition waggons were at a business-like distance."

  2. 2
    Earnest and practical without being distracted or enthusiastic.

    "Then, with a businesslike rigor, he grasped the outstretched palm of Casey DeSantis, Florida’s first lady."

Adjective
  1. 1
    exhibiting methodical and systematic characteristics that would be useful in business wordnet
  2. 2
    not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
arrangedbanausicbreadwinningcommercialearnestearnest

Example

More examples

"He spoke of sex in a rather businesslike manner, which was how he tried to avoid talking about his problems with intimacy."

Etymology

From business + -like.

More for "businesslike"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.