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
Etymology
Origin of masterpiece
1570–80; master + piece, modeled on Dutch meesterstuk, German Meisterstück
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.
You can go to the jazz concerts, go see dozens of masterpieces outdoors... you can go inside somewhere and really focus quietly on a single work of art,” Govan said.
From Los Angeles Times
Sondheim and Wheeler’s haunted masterpiece doesn’t need perfection to live again.
From Los Angeles Times
Before you leave, don’t forget to look up — the ceiling is a masterpiece in its own right.
From Salon
Best known for “The Book of Disquiet,” a fragmented masterpiece of urban ennui, the bulk of Pessoa’s literary output wasn’t discovered until after his death in 1935 at age 47.
From Los Angeles Times
Lightly used Preludes provided the canvas upon which a generation of street-performance masterpieces were painted just before being confiscated.
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.
