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masterpiece

American  
[mas-ter-pees, mah-ster-] / ˈmæs tərˌpis, ˈmɑ stər- /

noun

  1. a person's greatest piece of work, as in an art.

  2. anything done with masterly skill.

    a masterpiece of improvisation.

  3. a consummate example of skill or excellence of any kind.

    The chef 's cake was a masterpiece.

  4. a piece made by a person aspiring to the rank of master in a guild or other craft organization as a proof of competence.

masterpiece British  
/ ˈmɑːstəˌpiːs, ˈmɑːstəˌwɜːk /

noun

  1. an outstanding work, achievement, or performance

  2. the most outstanding piece of work of a creative artist, craftsman, etc

"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

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.

Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” was stolen in 1911 by an Italian employee of the Louvre who wanted to repatriate the masterpiece.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The 1984 musical, inspired by the painter Georges Seurat’s 1886 pointillist masterpiece “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” explored the rigors and rewards of the artistic process.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

What is firmly at Tudor's door was that it was his bold decision to drop Vicario and play Kinsky and to say it back-fired is a masterpiece of under-statement.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Perched on the edge of the rugged Yorkshire moors that inspired Emily Bronte to write her masterpiece "Wuthering Heights", the quaint village of Haworth has long been a place of literary pilgrimage.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

If you wanted a masterpiece, a sword for the ages, was it Arabella that your footsteps led you to?

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

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.