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

These were small masterpieces embellished with gold and vivid enamels. — Selene Oliva, Glamour, 13 July 2026

Its highlights include St John’s Co-Cathedral, home to Caravaggio’s greatest and only signed masterpiece, and the Grand Master’s Palace, with its remarkable Palace Armoury. — Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

But what elevates the songs into a dyptych masterpiece is its struggle to name and inhabit a feeling when reckoning with another person’s heart. — Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026

Twelve years later, Tyler recorded her own rendition and the result would also be a masterpiece. — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 9 July 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