masterpiece

[mas-ter-pees, mah-ster-]

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

/ ˈmɑːstəˌpiːs, ˈmɑːstəˌwɜːk /

noun

1. an outstanding work, achievement, or performance

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of masterpiece¹

1570–80; master + piece, modeled on Dutch meesterstuk, German Meisterstück

Word History and Origins

Origin of masterpiece¹

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

Example Sentences

His next project was Much Ado About Nothing, a masterpiece, set in an Italian villa with his then partner Emma Thomson playing Beatrice joyfully to his Benedick.

From BBC

The series endures because it’s a “comic masterpiece,” Simon said, but also because it “deals with a pervasive societal problem in America: loneliness.”

From Los Angeles Times

Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” a parody of a famous quote from Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece.

From Los Angeles Times

Obviously, this is a commercial musical and not a literary masterpiece on par with Shakespeare’s tragedy of ill-starred lovers.

From Los Angeles Times

This Monaco billionaire bought a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, another iconic property on the Big Sur coastline and Clint Eastwood’s old pub.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• classic 
• gem 
• jewel 
• monument 
• treasure