masterpiece

[mas-ter-pees, mah-ster-]

noun

1. a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art.

2. anything done with masterly skill.

   a masterpiece of improvisation.

3. a consummate example of skill or excellence of any kind.

   The chef 's cake was a masterpiece.

4. a piece made by a person aspiring to the rank of master in a guild or other craft organization as a proof of competence.

masterpiece

/ ˈmɑːstəˌpiːs, ˈmɑːstəˌwɜːk /

noun

1. an outstanding work, achievement, or performance

2. the most outstanding piece of work of a creative artist, craftsman, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of masterpiece¹

1570–80; master + piece, modeled on Dutch meesterstuk, German Meisterstück

Word History and Origins

Origin of masterpiece¹

C17: compare Dutch meesterstuk, German Meisterstück, a sample of work submitted to a guild by a craftsman in order to qualify for the rank of master

Example Sentences

Two of William Hogarth's masterpiece murals have opened to the public after a £9.5m restoration project.

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Consider every masterpiece play not written by Oscar Wilde in Victorian England, an era when more theatres were being constructed in London than anywhere before in human history.

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The Chargers are putting together complete games, and Monday was a defensive masterpiece.

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I haven’t yet executed this masterpiece — I need to be in the right mood, saucy enough — but perhaps this week is the week.

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"Keep the things that reinforce you, that uplift you when you walk through the door," she adds, be that holiday purchases, pictures, or masterpieces by your children, nephews or nieces.

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Related Words

• classic 
• gem 
• jewel 
• monument 
• treasure