as in classic
something (as a work of art) that is a great achievement and often its creator's greatest achievement
Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel are often considered to be his masterpieces
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Recent Examples of masterpiece
Construction on La BasĂlica de la Sagrada Familia, considered his masterpiece, started in 1882.
—
Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 4 June 2026
Named one of the Ten Best Books of 2024 by the New York Times, this masterpiece of self-revelation chronicles the author’s gender transition in her late 60s.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
But La RĂ©serve Paris is their masterpiece.
—Matt Ortile, CondĂ© Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
To make the musical masterpiece of his dreams, Lestat will have to break on through his shell of witty cruelty and hope an authentic soul remains intact beneath it.
—Judy Berman, Time, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for masterpiece
Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 4 June 2026
Named one of the Ten Best Books of 2024 by the New York Times, this masterpiece of self-revelation chronicles the author’s gender transition in her late 60s.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
But La RĂ©serve Paris is their masterpiece.
—Matt Ortile, CondĂ© Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
To make the musical masterpiece of his dreams, Lestat will have to break on through his shell of witty cruelty and hope an authentic soul remains intact beneath it.
—Judy Berman, Time, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for masterpiece
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterpiece
Noun
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Today, bakers across France riff on the classic by adding everything from tahini to cherries and peanuts.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
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The Shawshank Redemption Selected by Dan Lin Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption is a timeless classic that reflects where our film culture is headed.—
Time,
Time,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Culturally, populism spoke to a tension between the taste found in metropolitan centers and that of people in small towns across the country, pitting (for instance) classical opera and European masterwork exhibitions against folk traditions in art, dancing, and music.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Celebrate Black Music Month, a Central Florida Sounds of Freedom milestone, the hits of legendary artists or a classical masterwork in June.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Masterpiece.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterpiece. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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