old master

noun

Updated on: 13 May 2018

Definition of old master

: a work of art by an established master and especially by any of the distinguished painters of the 16th, 17th, or early 18th century; also : such an artist

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Examples of old master in a Sentence

He is now recognized as one of the Old Masters of the Dutch school.
their collection of old masters

Recent Examples of old master from the Web

Her colors, attention to detail and materials are inspired by old masters, resulting in pieces that are classical yet modern and often whimsical.

— martina schimitschek, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Seattle-based artist Gabrielle Bakker, in residence at Lux Art Institute, paints classical characters in contemporary settings," 27 Apr. 2018
In front of you, there is a line of stunning European old master paintings to observe and explore.

— nina siegal, New York Times, "Virtual Reality Lets Rare Works of Art Take a Field Trip," 10 Mar. 2018
On completion of managerial posts at both Torino and AC Milan, 'the old master' was named the first head coach of Azzurri not to be shackled by the decision-making of a technical committee.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 19 Weeks to Go - Vittorio Pozzo's 1934 Italian Tactical Revolution," 9 Feb. 2018
Washington needed local allies who opposed the regime, and these often came from formerly subordinated groups eager to take revenge on their old masters.

— park macdougald, Daily Intelligencer, "Can America’s Two Tribes Learn to Live Together?," 19 Apr. 2018
The museum contains an encyclopedic collection of art from the old masters to Impressionists to an 11,000-square-foot contemporary design gallery.

— alina tugend, New York Times, "To Reach New Audiences, Museums Are Redefining What They Offer," 12 Mar. 2018
James shoots a superb 60 percent inside the line this season, using the paint like an old master.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "LeBron 30,000: Points only part of the story: Bill Livingston (photos)," 23 Jan. 2018
Soon, the couple had purchased the place and began a rapid-fire renovation, tearing out a laundry room to create an open kitchen/den floorplan, updating the 1980s kitchen, ripping out the old master bath and replacing it with a spa-like cocoon.

— susan langenhennig, NOLA.com, "Looking to replace those freeze-damaged tropicals? Check out this native plant sale," 19 Jan. 2018
The older master of spycraft and the young businessman struck up a friendship that would become a cornerstone in Guo’s claims of insider knowledge, and also possibly the reason for the businessman’s downfall in China.

— lauren hilgers, New York Times, "The Mystery of the Exiled Billionaire Whistle-Blower," 10 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'old master.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of old master

circa 1684

in the meaning defined above

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OLD MASTER Defined for English Language Learners

old master

noun

Definition of old master for English Language Learners

: a famous and highly skilled artist; especially : a famous painter of the 16th, 17th, or early 18th century
: a work of art created by an Old Master

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