chef d'oeuvre

noun

shā-ˈdœvrᵊ How to pronounce chef d'oeuvre (audio)
Definition of chef d'oeuvrenext
as in masterpiece
something (as a work of art) that is a great achievement and often its creator's greatest achievement the sculptor labored for 15 years on his chef d'oeuvre

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chef d'oeuvre
masterpiece
Noun
  • After 144 years of construction, architect Antoni Gaudí’s masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, was inaugurated this summer after the final piece of the Tower of Jesus Christ was installed in February.
    — Jaymi McCann, TheWeek, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Dating van Gogh’s Starry Night Vincent van Gogh’s masterpiece, The Starry Night (1889), has long fascinated art lovers and scientists like.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of masterpiece
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

chef
chef d'oeuvre
chefs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chef d'oeuvre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chef%20d%27oeuvre. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All