magnum opus

American  

noun

1. a great work, especially the chief work of a writer or artist.

   Proust's magnum opus is Remembrance of Things Past.

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magnum opus British  

noun

1. a great work of art or literature, esp the greatest single work of an artist

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magnum opus Cultural  

1. The most important work in a person's career, especially in literature, art, or scholarship: “Moby Dick was Melville's magnum opus.” From Latin, meaning “great work.”

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Etymology

Origin of magnum opus

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1785–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magnum opus

But for range and ambition, John Dos Passos’ three-volume magnum opus makes a claim to the accolade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Yet long before earning all these accolades, Shakira was a teen girl in Baranquilla, Colombia, waiting in line at her local record store for a copy of Nirvana’s 1991 grunge magnum opus, “Nevermind.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

In a landmark event for film lovers, the fully restored, uncut version of Ramesh Sippy's 1975 magnum opus will have its world premiere at Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy, on Friday.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2025

In 1966, Wilson led The Beach Boys in the production of "Pet Sounds," the magnum opus that elevated the group’s stature for all time.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2025

It is the opening of John Keegan’s 1993 magnum opus, A History of Warfare: War is not the continuation of policy by other means.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker