masterpiece

noun

mas·​ter·​piece ˈma-stər-ˌpēs How to pronounce masterpiece (audio)
Synonyms of masterpiecenext
1
: a work done with extraordinary skill
especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement
2
: a piece of work presented to a medieval guild as evidence of qualification for the rank of master

Synonyms

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Examples of masterpiece in a Sentence

The painting was immediately recognized as a masterpiece. Herman Melville's masterpiece was Moby-Dick. Her study of apes is a masterpiece.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His screenplay for Network is regarded as his masterpiece and has been hailed as one of greatest and most prescient screenplays of the 20th century. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025 Virginia Woolf’s wild run of creativity in her 40s included writing her masterpiece on the terrors and triumphs of middle age. — Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 5 Aug. 2025 The Wallace Collection, on Manchester Square, bequeathed to the British nation in 1897, houses masterpieces from the 14th to the 19th centuries by artists including Titian, Velázquez, Rubens and Fragonard. — Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025 The results were his masterpieces: the Lily Pool, Promontory Point on the south lakeshore, and a Japanese Garden in Jackson Park. — Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for masterpiece

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of masterpiece was in 1600

Rhymes for masterpiece

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Browse Nearby Words

master oscillator
masterpiece
master plan
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Cite this Entry

“Masterpiece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/masterpiece. Accessed 13 Aug. 2025.

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Kids Definition

masterpiece

noun
mas·​ter·​piece ˈmas-tər-ˌpēs How to pronounce masterpiece (audio)
: a work done with great skill
especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement

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Nglish: Translation of masterpiece for Spanish Speakers

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