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

Davis, wearing a particularly Bo Peep-y set of pink panniers, turns the character into a masterpiece of clownery, sulking delightfully and throwing magnificent tantrums while her arrangement of topknots—the hair designer is Robert Pickens—bounces on her head like a prize curly lamb. —Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025

Sign up for a class, or create your own one-of-a-kind art mosaic masterpiece using glass and resin. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2025

On this small round table, Jane had penned her masterpieces. —Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025

Over time, it’s been recognized as one of the best films of the ‘80s and one of Reiner’s masterpieces. —Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 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