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

• 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

First, was the Demna retrospective of his visionary fashion masterpieces during his reign at Balenciaga. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 30 June 2025

Restoration, re-releases: Wong Kar Wai’s romantic masterpiece In The Mood For Love from Janus Films opens at the IFC Center and Film at Lincoln Center this weekend, at L.A.’s Laemmle Royal and Glendale next. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 27 June 2025

Even those low on the list still fail with style, and many of these films are masterpieces. —Barry Levitt, Time, 26 June 2025

The list starts with a simple trilogy of masterpieces and ends with a century-spanning challenge that only the nerdiest viewers are likely to undertake. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 25 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for masterpiece

• altarpiece
• centerpiece
• frontispiece
• mantelpiece
• pilates
• summarise
• syntheses
• apiece
• aris
• assise
• caprice
• cerise

Kids Definition

masterpiece

noun

mas·​ter·​piece ˈmas-tər-ˌpēs 

: a work done with great skill

especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement