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masterpiece

masterpiece

156 3.8
A very good painting, book, or performance that shows a person's best work
  • noun
  • /ˈmæstərˌpiːs/
translation icon : obra maestra
  • Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' is widely regarded as a masterpiece of post-Impressionist art.
  • write a masterpiece
  • a literary masterpiece
  • an artistic masterpiece

Just take a look at this masterpiece, look at those shades.

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Examples

  • It is one of the greatest masterpieces of architecture of all times.

  • And this week we'll be discussing this masterpiece of Assyrian art.

  • But this is a masterpiece of engineering.

  • All right, so this is the first masterpiece that you painted.

  • This happens to be a masterpiece of American literature.

  • Not everything you do is a masterpiece.

  • This could be your masterpiece.

  • Anybody who saw this painting thought it was the perfect masterpiece representing peace.

  • The project counts as a masterpiece of classical architecture within the field of tomb design.

    Academic text (1992)
  • I'm saying the Castle of Creon is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture.

Synonyms

masterwork
vsmasterpiece
8 5.4

A very great work of art, music, or writing by a skilled person

is about the work being the best or most important regardless of creator's title
magnum opus
vsmasterpiece
  • Formal
4 8.3

A person's best and most important work, like a famous book, painting, or piece of music

is a general term for any outstanding work not only the single greatest
chef-d'oeuvre
vsmasterpiece
  • Literature
1 9.9

A very great work of art like a painting or novel that shows great skill

is the common English form used instead of the foreign term

Antonyms

557 1.3

Not reaching what was planned or expected

31 6.5

A state of being average and not special

How Important

masterpiece
156 3.8
significant
2.5
notable
112 3.7
minor
600 2.4

Surface Forms

masterpiece singular
masterpieces plural

Morphology

masterpiece = master + piece (transparent) = master + piece

Clear compound of 'master' (an expert) + 'piece' (a work), meaning a work by a master.

Etymology

Masterpiece comes from the parts master and piece, and it originally meant a special 'piece' of work made by a skilled 'master'. Long ago a worker had to show such a piece to prove they were a master, so today masterpiece means someone's best or most important work.