masterpiece

noun

mas·​ter·​piece ˈma-stər-ˌpēs How to pronounce masterpiece (audio)
Synonyms of masterpiece
1
: a work done with extraordinary skill
especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement
2
: a piece of work presented to a medieval guild as evidence of qualification for the rank of master

Synonyms of masterpiece

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Examples of masterpiece in a Sentence

The painting was immediately recognized as a masterpiece. Herman Melville's masterpiece was Moby-Dick. Her study of apes is a masterpiece.
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Those songs and more were performed during his set by an ace band that included two drummers, whose polyrhythmic beat recalled the Burundi-like drumming of Ant’s 1980 masterpiece Kings of the Wild Frontier. — David Chiu, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The Peninsula Grill‘s late chef and owner Robert Carter took his grandmother’s coconut cake and turned it into a masterpiece. — Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026 Legends like this one only serve to enhance the value of certain masterpieces crafted from diamonds and precious stones. — Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 Its blood had drawn crooked and contorted lines on the ground, as if a painter had splashed colorful strokes on a canvas to create a postmodern masterpiece. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for masterpiece

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of masterpiece was in 1600

Rhymes for masterpiece

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Browse Nearby Words

master oscillator
masterpiece
master plan
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Cite this Entry

“Masterpiece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/masterpiece. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

masterpiece

noun
mas·​ter·​piece ˈmas-tər-ˌpēs How to pronounce masterpiece (audio)
: a work done with great skill
especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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