masterwork

/ˈmɑːstəwɜːk/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmæstərwɜːrk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈma-stər-ˌwərk/ (ame, mw)

masterwork — 名詞

1. An artist's, writer's, or composer's finest creation — the one painting, novel,

1.名詞C1
釋義

代表作

創作者一生中最頂尖的作品

An artist's, writer's, or composer's finest creation — the one painting, novel, film, or piece of music that shows their highest level of craft.

例句

Most critics still call Tolstoy's War and Peace the great novelist's masterwork.

多數評論家仍把托爾斯泰的《戰爭與和平》視為這位大文豪的代表作。

[creator]'s masterwork — naming the finest work in a body of art

The Sistine Chapel ceiling is widely seen as Michelangelo's masterwork in painting.

西斯廷禮拜堂的天頂畫普遍被看作 Michelangelo 在繪畫上的巔峰之作。

a masterwork in [art form]

同義詞
  • masterpiece

    more common; can mean any single excellent work, not only the career-best one

  • magnum opus

    Latin term; stresses scale and lifetime importance, often used of long books or compositions

  • chef-d'oeuvre

    literary French loanword; same idea as masterwork but feels more bookish

反義詞
  • potboiler

    a quickly made work done mainly for money, not artistic ambition

文法句型

the masterwork of [creator]

[creator]'s masterwork

a masterwork of [art form]

用法筆記

Singular and definite by nature — a creator usually has only one masterwork. Frequently appears with a possessive (`his masterwork`, `the composer's masterwork`) rather than indefinite article. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense always refers to a specific artistic or creative output.

常見錯誤

❌The painter has produced many masterworks this year.
✅The painter has produced many fine works this year.
💡a creator typically has one masterwork, not several.
❌This song was a masterwork.
✅This song was a masterpiece.
💡for one strong individual piece, 'masterpiece' is more natural; 'masterwork' implies it tops the whole career.

2. Something done so well that it stands out as one of the best examples of its kin

2.名詞C1
釋義

傑作

在某項技藝上做到極致的成果

Something done so well that it stands out as one of the best examples of its kind, even when it is not a piece of art.

例句

The chef's twelve-course tasting menu was a masterwork of timing and flavour.

這位主廚十二道菜的品嚐套餐，是時間掌握與味道搭配的傑作。

a masterwork of [quality]

Iris called the lawyer's closing speech a masterwork of cool, careful reasoning.

Iris 形容那位律師的結辯，是冷靜縝密推理的範本。

同義詞
  • tour de force

    stresses impressive skill or strength; common in reviews of performances or arguments

  • triumph

    broader; any clearly successful effort, not always involving high skill

反義詞
  • fiasco

    a thoroughly failed attempt; informal

文法句型

a masterwork of [quality / activity]

be a masterwork of [noun]

用法筆記

Almost always in the frame `a masterwork of [X]`, where X names the skill, quality, or activity that has been done supremely well. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense praises the level of skill in an activity rather than naming an artist's lifetime best work.

常見錯誤

❌The dinner was very masterwork.
✅The dinner was a masterwork of flavour.
💡'masterwork' is a noun and almost always needs the frame 'a masterwork of [something]'.
❌Her speech was a masterwork.
✅Her speech was a masterwork of clear argument.
💡without the 'of [X]' phrase the praise sounds incomplete.