as in classics
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 masterpieces
Wang pointed to airport stores in London, which are architectural masterpieces with cafés inside.
—
Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
Those years brought a new swath of fans to Gunn’s meditative folk and rock sounds, showcased on low-key masterpieces like 2019’s The Unseen In Between.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Fast-forward to 2025, McMillan’s masterpieces have appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list a remarkable 10 times and her books have sold millions of copies across the globe.
—Essence, 5 Nov. 2025
Our list of sci-fi horror novels spans from 20th-century classics to modern masterpieces, all testing how far humanity goes before reason falters and horror takes over.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Though both of these James Whale masterpieces hold up remarkably well, the 1935 sequel surpasses the original Frankenstein — itself a great movie — in terms of style.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Knott’s Scary Farm visitors who belly up to the bar at the Calico Saloon can shout requests to a ghost pianist who plays everything from Ragtime masterpieces to summery pop hits by Katy Perry during the annual Halloween seasonal event.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Greek tragedies, Roman philosophy, African American literature, global masterpieces—these are not dusty relics.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
On the eve of the war, Jaujard, with the help of staff and volunteers, secretly arranged for the Mona Lisa and thousands of other masterpieces to be evacuated to the French countryside to protect them from looting.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
Those years brought a new swath of fans to Gunn’s meditative folk and rock sounds, showcased on low-key masterpieces like 2019’s The Unseen In Between.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2025
Fast-forward to 2025, McMillan’s masterpieces have appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list a remarkable 10 times and her books have sold millions of copies across the globe.
—Essence, 5 Nov. 2025
Our list of sci-fi horror novels spans from 20th-century classics to modern masterpieces, all testing how far humanity goes before reason falters and horror takes over.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Though both of these James Whale masterpieces hold up remarkably well, the 1935 sequel surpasses the original Frankenstein — itself a great movie — in terms of style.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Knott’s Scary Farm visitors who belly up to the bar at the Calico Saloon can shout requests to a ghost pianist who plays everything from Ragtime masterpieces to summery pop hits by Katy Perry during the annual Halloween seasonal event.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
Greek tragedies, Roman philosophy, African American literature, global masterpieces—these are not dusty relics.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
On the eve of the war, Jaujard, with the help of staff and volunteers, secretly arranged for the Mona Lisa and thousands of other masterpieces to be evacuated to the French countryside to protect them from looting.
—NPR, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterpieces
Noun
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More than thirty years later, even after Chuck scored nearly a hundred films (including the campy classics Chopping Mall, Ghoulies IV, and the DC Comics adaptation The Return of Swamp Thing), fans still single out his music for Deathstalker II.—
Bear McCreary,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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Shopping the online jeweler’s collection means classics like tennis bracelets and diamond toi et moi rings boast a more accessible price without losing the elevated appeal of fine jewelry.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Here are some of the (streamable) masterworks that helped to do so.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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Discovering the genre through Americanized versions of Japanese masterworks, millennials explored world cinema largely through comparison.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Masterpieces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterpieces. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.
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