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.
A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war.
From BBC
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
From BBC
Doug feverishly bangs out a script and Griff, who plans to star in the remake, calls it “a masterpiece,” though the demented glint in Mr. Black’s eyes assures us it’s anything but.
This contemporary retelling of Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw” is a masterpiece of modern gothic.
From Los Angeles Times
The world of art in the 21st century—the world of modern art, as we still call it—does not respond comfortably to the idea of a masterpiece.
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.
