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

Completed just a few decades after the Vatican Observatory, in 1616, Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque is one the world’s greatest sacred masterpieces. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

The sentiment set the table for a record that often suggests what might’ve happened if the band had released a transitional album in 1995, between their debut 1994 alt-rock smash The Blue Album and their 1996 emo-adjacent masterpiece Pinkerton. — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Scorsese has been making cinematic masterpieces for many decades now – Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, GoodFellas, Casino, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, to name only a few. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026

Director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece raises still-relevant questions about the nature of synthetic consciousness, wrapped in a stylish noir casing. — David Faris, TheWeek, 19 Aug. 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