Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An outstanding work of art or craft.
  • noun The greatest work, as of an artist.
  • noun Something superlative of its kind.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A work or performance of a master; a piece of work of surpassing excellence; any performance or production superior to others of its kind, whether by the same person or by others.
  • noun Chief excellence or talent.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Anything done or made with extraordinary skill; a capital performance; a chef-d'œuvre; a supreme achievement.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A piece of work that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career.
  • noun A work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship.
  • noun A work created in order to qualify as a master craftsman and member of a guild.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an outstanding achievement
  • noun the most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably translation of Dutch meesterstuk or German Meisterstück : Dutch meester and German Meister, master + Dutch stuk and German Stück, piece of work.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

master +‎ piece, a calque of Dutch meesterstuk

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Examples

  • Composing a masterpiece is as simple as moving your hands.

    E3 '08: Let the 'Music' play 2008

  • This masterpiece is the work of Australian illustrator Biddy Maroney.

    Boing Boing 2007

  • Of all the signage in the city, this masterpiece is the one that I always come back to, the one that just blows my mind.

    Boing Boing: September 17, 2006 - September 23, 2006 Archives 2006

  • F for Fake, spent a month on set of the unedited film, which she described as a masterpiece - the way it's shot, the way it's acted.

    The Guardian World News Dalya Alberge 2011

  • I'd rather not comment in detail and instead turn a blind eye to the fact that this masterpiece is going to be torn apart by the Hounds of Hollywood.

    Hyperion Film Gets A Director 2009

  • But in the eyes of this grizzled, embittered old observer, the all-time masterpiece is a short story written by Gene Hill.

    Uncategorized Blog Posts 2010

  • But in the eyes of this grizzled, embittered old observer, the all-time masterpiece is a short story written by Gene Hill.

    Uncategorized Blog Posts 2010

  • Of course, I appreciated the highly complimentary term masterpiece, but at first I was taken aback by dark.

    True You Janet Jackson 2011

  • Ryder's masterpiece is the most affecting painting I've ever come across that evokes the pain and suffering of a dying bird.

    Subhankar Banerjee: Youth Across North America Are Fighting For Their Future Climate Subhankar Banerjee 2010

  • Of course, I appreciated the highly complimentary term masterpiece, but at first I was taken aback by dark.

    True You Janet Jackson 2011

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