masterpiece

noun

mas·​ter·​piece ˈma-stər-ˌpēs 

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

• classic
• masterwork

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mitsotakis’s right-wing administration has been pushing to reunify the masterpieces within view of the Acropolis. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

In 2006, that motion-control masterpiece famously had everyone from babies to grandmas discovering the fun and connection of video games by performing close-enough versions of real sports actions, not just pressing abstract buttons. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026

This Victoria Falls masterpiece is, as its name suggests, modeled on the rich colors of one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls, which sits on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe where the Zambezi River plunges over a basalt cliff. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026

Both of those earlier films, of course, are now repertory staples that virtually everyone who cares about such things considers masterpieces. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for masterpiece

• altarpiece
• centerpiece
• frontispiece
• mantelpiece
• pilates
• specialise
• stabilise
• syntheses
• apiece
• aris
• assise
• caprice

Kids Definition

masterpiece

noun

mas·​ter·​piece ˈmas-tər-ˌpēs 

: a work done with great skill

especially : a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement