masterpiece

noun

mas·​ter·​piece ˈma-stər-ˌpēs 

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 of masterpiece

• classic
• masterwork

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

Not every war film needs to reinvent the genre or be a critical masterpiece. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 26 May 2026

In Game 1, his 38-point masterpiece fueled New York's comeback from a 22-point hole in the fourth quarter. —ABC News, 26 May 2026

There is also a community sculpture that visitors are helping add to and a kid gallery is growing with their masterpieces. —Heather McRea, Oc Register, 26 May 2026

Dekonstructing the Kardashians, somewhat like Naomi Klein’s 2023 masterpiece, Doppelganger, is both about its nominal subject (Klein’s being, most directly, the writer Naomi Wolf) and not really about it at all. —Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 24 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for masterpiece

• altarpiece
• centerpiece
• frontispiece
• mantelpiece
• pilates
• specialise
• stabilise
• syntheses
• apiece
• aris
• assise
• caprice

Kids Definition

masterpiece

noun

mas·​ter·​piece ˈmas-tər-ˌpēs 

: a work done with great skill

especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement