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
But maybe that’s the ultimate victory: By the end, Cruise and McQuarrie manage to wrestle back their magnum opus from the grubby little cyberpaws of the Lord of Lies.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 May 2025
But their magnum opus was 1978’s Dub Housing, where Thomas shows off his collection of animal noises, grunts, yelps, and screeches, up to his neck in industrial synth-and-guitar factory noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Their magnum opus, Dark Side of the Moon (1973), only hit No. 2.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 9 May 2025
Photo: Warner Bros/Everett Collection Blanchett didn’t really have all that much to do in Peter Jackson’s dual magnum opuses, other than be extraordinarily lit.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnum opus
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 May 2025
But their magnum opus was 1978’s Dub Housing, where Thomas shows off his collection of animal noises, grunts, yelps, and screeches, up to his neck in industrial synth-and-guitar factory noise.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Their magnum opus, Dark Side of the Moon (1973), only hit No. 2.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 9 May 2025
Photo: Warner Bros/Everett Collection Blanchett didn’t really have all that much to do in Peter Jackson’s dual magnum opuses, other than be extraordinarily lit.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magnum opus
Recent Examples of Synonyms for magnum opus
masterpiece
Noun
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For Williams, all of life seems to be captured in the oversized mandibles of Spielberg’s enduring cinematic masterpiece.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
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It is also widely considered by the global whisky industry to be a masterpiece in terms of the quality and consistency that has been maintained over decades at a mass scale of production.—
Felipe Schrieberg,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Magnum opus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/magnum%20opus. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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