as in masterpiece
something (as a work of art) that is a great achievement and often its creator's greatest achievement
this symphony is usually considered Beethoven's magnum opus
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Recent Examples of magnum opus
Tied for the longest game in the 121-year history of the World Series, at 18 innings, the outing will largely be remembered as the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani’s second magnum opus of the fall (more on his first later).
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Steve Rushin, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Slaughter of the Soul, the band’s 1995 magnum opus, is constantly hailed as one of the defining extreme metal albums, along with being one of the most influential metal albums of the last 30 years.
—Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Oppenheimer had its box-office haul, plus the notion that Christopher Nolan had finally made his magnum opus.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
The repulsive-yet-beautiful magnum opus that remained has been tangled up in theories about Pasolini’s murder ever since.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnum opus
Steve Rushin, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Slaughter of the Soul, the band’s 1995 magnum opus, is constantly hailed as one of the defining extreme metal albums, along with being one of the most influential metal albums of the last 30 years.
—Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Oppenheimer had its box-office haul, plus the notion that Christopher Nolan had finally made his magnum opus.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
The repulsive-yet-beautiful magnum opus that remained has been tangled up in theories about Pasolini’s murder ever since.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnum opus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for magnum opus
masterpiece
Noun
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The bride-to-be, meanwhile, flew to Paris to perform while the masterpiece was under construction.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
5 Jan. 2026
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One preference the females seem to have is fine sand – this is also the first to degrade in the circle, meaning the male won't reuse his masterpiece but build from scratch when another mating event requires it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Magnum opus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/magnum%20opus. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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