masterpiece
[mas-ter-pees, mah-ster-]
- a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art.
- anything done with masterly skill: a masterpiece of improvisation.
- a consummate example of skill or excellence of any kind: The chef's cake was a masterpiece.
- a piece made by a person aspiring to the rank of master in a guild or other craft organization as a proof of competence.
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Origin of masterpiece
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
monumenttreasurejewelgemclassicmasterstrokeflowerprizestandardshowpieceperfectionmodelcreamExamples from the Web for masterpiece
Contemporary Examples
The masterpiece is huge, but structurally flawed and terribly vulnerable to seismic activity.
In the masterpiece Mr. Turner, Mike Leigh translates the soul of his characters on screen.
Two decades on from his masterpiece on anti-Americanism abroad, Whit Stillman remains obsessed with native-expat dynamics.
Whit Stillman on the 20th Anniversary of ‘Barcelona’, His New Amazon Series, and the Myth of the Ugly ExpatMichael Weiss
August 10, 2014
Think twice about filming that two-minute masterpiece and making yourself the next Paris Hilton (if you're lucky).
Did it have anything to do with you starring with Zac Efron in the masterpiece that was Charlie St. Cloud?
Dave Franco Uncut: The Actor on ’22 Jump Street,’ ‘The Room,’ and His Bro’s Nude InstagramsMarlow Stern
June 13, 2014
Historical Examples
The outcome of that objective vision was Hamlet—a masterpiece of self-revealing.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
Lamb and Coleridge, on the other hand, have praised "Lear" as a world's masterpiece.
The Man ShakespeareFrank Harris
Viewed only as a masterpiece of human life it might well be the despair of mankind.
Understanding the ScripturesFrancis McConnell
A stanza, the final one of that masterpiece, has been preserved.
Southern Lights and ShadowsVarious
It's a masterpiece to have invented a serious suit that is not black.
The Middle Class GentlemanMoliere
masterpiece
less commonly masterwork (ˈmɑːstəˌwɜːk)
- an outstanding work, achievement, or performance
- the most outstanding piece of work of a creative artist, craftsman, etc
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Word Origin
C17: compare Dutch meesterstuk, German Meisterstück, a sample of work submitted to a guild by a craftsman in order to qualify for the rank of master
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for masterpiece
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper