masterpiece
Americannoun
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masterpieces
plural
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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
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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.
See Examples For:
The plot is so similar to McDonagh’s 2008 feature film debut, the masterpiece “In Bruges,” which starred Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell as exiled hit men, that the filmmaker should sue himself for plagiarism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Rome's top official for cultural heritage, Claudio Parisi Presicce, called the work an "absolute masterpiece, perhaps the most important pictorial work to have survived from antiquity".
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
“But also look at a Prince album like Sign o’ the Times, which is a masterpiece, but some of Prince’s best ideas on that album are mistakes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The Guardian awarded the film five stars, external, calling it "a modern masterpiece of deceit", stressing how "TV's grand illusionist meets his match when he moves in with Theranos founder and her family".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
I put the finishing touches on my newest Crayola masterpiece, a picture of a T-Rex.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
Empress Eugénie’s diamond corsage bow brooch is a historic masterpieces of the French Crown Jewels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Two of the masterpieces stolen from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, a suburb of Nice, have yet to be recovered.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Portrait of a Lady Holding an Orange Blossom—the woman holds a sprig of white flowers in her right hand—hung in the gallery near masterpieces by Rubens and Rembrandt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The cat may be evolution’s artwork, but it is the dog that holds sway in prints and paintings, and in many cases transforms them into masterpieces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Aren’t you glad you aren’t responsible for saving one of the world’s masterpieces from a maniac?”
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
