masterpiece
Americannoun
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masterpieces
plural
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a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art.
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anything done with masterly skill.
a masterpiece of improvisation.
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a consummate example of skill or excellence of any kind.
The chef 's cake was a masterpiece.
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a piece made by a person aspiring to the rank of master in a guild or other craft organization as a proof of competence.
noun
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an outstanding work, achievement, or performance
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the most outstanding piece of work of a creative artist, craftsman, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of masterpiece
1570–80; master + piece, modeled on Dutch meesterstuk, German Meisterstück
Explanation
Many people have to agree that a painting or a novel is wonderful, and they usually need to feel that way for years, in order for it to be considered a true masterpiece. An artist or writer is generally capable of creating only one masterpiece in her lifetime, if she makes a masterpiece at all. When an art historian or English teacher uses it, the word masterpiece implies a truly sublime, amazing creation. You can also describe something that's simply great as a masterpiece, like the seven-layer chocolate cake your mom baked for your birthday. Masterpiece comes from the Dutch meesterstuk, "work by which a craftsman attains the rank of master."
Vocabulary lists containing masterpiece
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The innovative 1,000-seat hall for concert, opera and dance looks to be Frank Gehry’s last music-meant masterpiece certain to usher in a new era for the Grand Avenue cultural district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
For one thing, the album’s 14 tracks are a tour de force, a masterpiece of inspired songwriting and musicianship.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Reviews praised its candour and musical invention, calling Allen's work "breathtaking and heartbreaking", external and "a brutal, tell-all masterpiece", external.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Choose your own culinary adventure: The most advanced ordering system in the food industry is the multiple-choice menu that lets you assemble a masterpiece from every filling, topping, and garnish in existence.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
Slumped and squinting and halting over words, giving me Morgenstern’s masterpiece as best he could.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
The National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art holds the country's largest collection of Italian and international art from the 19th and 209th centuries, including masterpieces by Giorgio de Chirico, Amedeo Modigliani and others.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
My favorite depictions of this city know its real history is too cuckoo to capture sincerely; straight reenactments make the production of 35mm masterpieces look as piddly as Shrinky Dinks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Julian Gascoigne, senior director in the paintings department, said the work was one of Landseer's great Highland masterpieces.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
If you don’t want to paint, watching Ross whisk landscape masterpieces into being within 30 minutes, exercising a sorcerer’s assuredness, is diversion enough.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
She also remembered his words: Aren’t you glad you aren’t responsible for saving one of the world’s masterpieces from a maniac!
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
