A work or achievement regarded as an outstanding expression of skill.
Reach for it when giving rare, high praise to a finished creation that represents exceptional command
The carved screen is a masterpiece of patient geometric design.
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
everyday
Fits when a work has enduring recognition or exemplary form
Careful Classic implies time-tested status that a new work has not yet earned.
everyday
Fits when relative excellence within a group is enough
Careful A standout can be merely the best available and need not reach masterpiece quality.
warm
Suits a small, especially pleasing work with concentrated quality
Careful Gem sounds light and may diminish a large or solemn achievement.
warm
Fits when successful achievement after difficulty matters more than the object itself
Careful Triumph praises the outcome and may not establish artistic quality.
professional
showpiece
Fits when a work is designed to display skill or attract attention
Careful Showpiece can imply display for its own sake rather than lasting substance.
formal
crowning achievement
Fits when the work represents the high point of a career or effort
Careful The phrase requires comparison across a body of work and is wrong for an early success.
formal
Fits when the work stands as an especially strong model of its kind
Careful Exemplar sounds analytical and lacks the emotional admiration of masterpiece.
formal
Fits when a creator's exceptional work deserves direct recognition
Careful Masterwork is rare and sounds academic beside casual praise of a masterpiece.
formal
tour de force
Suits a display of great skill that solves an unusually demanding challenge
Careful The borrowed phrase emphasizes dazzling effort and can overstate quiet excellence.
literary
work of genius
Fits when extraordinary originality and intelligence are genuinely evident
Careful This is an extreme claim that should not replace specific praise.
absolute masterpiece
The final movement is an absolute masterpiece of restraint.
masterpiece of design
The folding chair became a masterpiece of practical design.
create a masterpiece
No one expected the beginner to create a masterpiece on the first attempt.
considered a masterpiece
The mural is now considered a masterpiece of civic art.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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