master class

American  

noun

1. a small class for advanced students, especially a class in performance skills conducted by a distinguished musician.

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Etymology

Origin of master class

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

This was a master class in dressing down the class clown.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2026

Shakespeare put all his understanding of human nature into Iago’s brainwashing master class.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

Antonio Obá’s painting of a monk-like horseman at Mendes Wood DM, his copper-hued cloak glimmering under a turquoise sky while his gaze pierces the viewer, is a small master class in paint-handling and color theory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

And on this trip he put on a master class.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Promptly after greeting them in Paris, however, Swann deserted them in favor of a master class with the cellist Pablo Casals.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik