master class

American  

noun

1. a small class for advanced students, especially a class in performance skills conducted by a distinguished musician.

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Etymology

Origin of master class

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Not to be outdone, Mayor Brandon Johnson gave a master class in deflection when asked if he would apologize to Gorman’s parents for her death.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

When the rights to “Sinners” revert to him in 2050, its 16 Academy Award nominations may still be second to none, a master class in how to triumph in defeat.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

On Wednesday, Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick, who is handling the preliminary phases of the Comey case, was the first up, and he gave a master class in judicial pushback.

From Slate • Nov. 8, 2025

Mr. Potter provides a master class in how our world produces the “abundance” that “has freed us from a life of near-constant toil.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

Promptly after greeting them in Paris, however, Swann deserted them in favor of a master class with the cellist Pablo Casals.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik