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Synonyms

chef-d'oeuvre

American  
[she-dœ-vruh] / ʃɛˈdœ vrə /

noun

  • chefs-d'oeuvre
    plural
  1. a masterpiece, especially in art, literature, or music.


chef-d'oeuvre British  
/ ʃɛdœvrə /

noun

  1. a masterpiece

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of chef-d'oeuvre

Borrowed into English from French around 1610–20


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:

Thirty-five years after "Die Hard" hit theaters, the Bruce Willis vehicle maintains its rep as a chef-d'oeuvre due to its perennial relevance.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2023

Frears’ chef-d’oeuvre has everything: accessibly rooted in a true story, it has a powerful but controlled display of emotions, is tempered with poignancy and wit, and has great performances from stars and supporting cast.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 16, 2020

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance is presenting Mac's chef-d'oeuvre, "A 24-Decade History of Popular Music," in a four-show series at the Theatre at Ace Hotel beginning Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2018

Still, I couldn’t help thinking that I’d already attended this party, the centerpiece of Bard SummerScape’s callow adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s “Master and Margarita,” the chef-d’oeuvre of Russian literature from the age of Stalin.

From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2013

In short, in an instant, he brought forth a true chef-d'oeuvre of malice.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 17, No. 495, June 25, 1831 by Various

"Oh, you're going to be so impressed with me," he coos as he peers at another of his chefs-d'oeuvre.

From Time Magazine Archive

These are covered with statues and bass-reliefs, many of the former being in a state of dilapidation which, considering the extreme hardness of the stone, indicates great age, while others are true chefs-d'oeuvre.

From The English Governess at the Siamese Court Being Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok by Anna Harriette Leonowens

I remember that one day you wrote me from Holland: 'I pass my life among chefs-d'oeuvre, but my mind is far away from them.

From His Excellency the Minister by Henri Roberts

Mr. Sheldon had no leisure for collecting; and Georgy preferred the gaudy pink-and-blue vases of a Regent-street china-shop to all the dingy chefs-d'oeuvre of a Wedgwood, or the quaint shepherds and shepherdesses of Chelsea.

From Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon

It would be endless to describe the various chefs-d'oeuvre which are contained in this valuable collection.

From After Waterloo: Reminiscences of European Travel 1815-1819 by Major W. E Frye

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