as in masterpiece
something (as a work of art) that is a great achievement and often its creator's greatest achievement
his most famous novel is regarded as a masterwork of Western literature
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Recent Examples of masterwork
Discovering the genre through Americanized versions of Japanese masterworks, millennials explored world cinema largely through comparison.
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Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2025
Ultimately, Orwell ends up fighting in the Spanish Civil War with a Republican militia before turning to literature to make his political stand, finishing his masterwork 1984 just months before his death in 1950.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Creed’s newest masterwork blends smoky agarwood oil distilled from 80-year-old trees with ambergris and saffron, producing a scent that tempers oud’s somewhat polarizing character with a sense of restraint.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2025
Black Reconstruction is a masterwork of political economy, historical revision, and moral clarity—and remains a caution for its modern readers.
—Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for masterwork
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2025
Ultimately, Orwell ends up fighting in the Spanish Civil War with a Republican militia before turning to literature to make his political stand, finishing his masterwork 1984 just months before his death in 1950.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
Creed’s newest masterwork blends smoky agarwood oil distilled from 80-year-old trees with ambergris and saffron, producing a scent that tempers oud’s somewhat polarizing character with a sense of restraint.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2025
Black Reconstruction is a masterwork of political economy, historical revision, and moral clarity—and remains a caution for its modern readers.
—Zephyr Teachout, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for masterwork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masterwork
masterpiece
Noun
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Add in the flourishes provided by Poku and Kofane, in particular — the former’s opening goal last weekend was a masterpiece — and the picture is of a brittle but talented group, clearly in a development stage, but with obvious potential in key areas.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Masterwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masterwork. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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