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
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.
See Examples For:
The innovative 1,000-seat hall for concert, opera and dance looks to be Frank Gehry’s last music-meant masterpiece certain to usher in a new era for the Grand Avenue cultural district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun will pelt the audience with references to other touchstones as the movie proceeds, including the slasher “Sleepaway Camp” and the David Lynch masterpiece “Mulholland Drive.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Choose your own culinary adventure: The most advanced ordering system in the food industry is the multiple-choice menu that lets you assemble a masterpiece from every filling, topping, and garnish in existence.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
No one outside the Marvel fan ecosystem is arguing that “Avengers: Endgame,” one of the highest-grossing films of all time, is a cinematic masterpiece on par with the all-time great classics.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
I put the finishing touches on my newest Crayola masterpiece, a picture of a T-Rex.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
It was the year Glass wrote “Einstein on the Beach” and Steve Reich created “Music for 18 Musicians” — the composers’ first masterpieces — demonstrating that Minimalism mattered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Julian Gascoigne, senior director in Sotheby's paintings department, said it was one of Landseer's great Highland masterpieces.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
How does Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi movie stack up to masterpieces like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Estimated by art historians to have been begun sometime after 1317, the frescoes are considered to be one of Giotto di Bondone's masterpieces.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
She also remembered his words: 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
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.
