masterpiece
Americannoun
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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.
Even the season finale is a meta masterpiece that’s told from the points of view of Lincoln’s rival attorneys.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
When Todd Haynes made his 1995 masterpiece “Safe”—which cast Julianne Moore as a Los Angeles housewife under siege by myriad illnesses—environmental disease was an enigma.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Here’s a sentence you haven’t read in a while: John Travolta has made a masterpiece.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
Samuel Beckett’s absurdist masterpiece, Waiting for Godot, tells the story of two friends who gather next to a barren tree, hoping to meet a man who never actually arrives.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
“Listen, your daddy was a real masterpiece at one time. I joked in there that I couldn’t remember him,” she says, pointing back at the house.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
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.
