oeuvre

noun

oeu·​vre ˈu̇-vrə 

ˈər-,

ˈə-,

ˈœ- 

plural oeuvres ˈu̇-vrə 

ˈə(r)-,

ˈœ- 

: a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer

a catalogue of Rembrandt's oeuvre

scrupulously examines Dickens' oeuvre in order to demonstrate how his convictions helped to determine the shape of his novels

—G. J. Worth

Synonyms

• corpus

Examples of oeuvre in a Sentence

a novel that occupies a relatively minor position in the author's oeuvre

Recent Examples on the Web

Lisa, adored for her Blackpink oeuvre and her own solo musical material (stream Alter Ego), is now a first-time actor. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2025

However, some people felt that the original was a perfect seven-season oeuvre without the need for a coda. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 4 Feb. 2025

Maps, too, came to figure in her oeuvre during this period, as exemplified by State Names of 2000, a map of the US that leaves visible only the names of states that can be traced to Indigenous words. —News Desk, Artforum, 30 Jan. 2025

Intersecting planes of color and floating orbs are recurring elements across her oeuvre, which has been widely shown in Lebanon. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "work," going back to Old French ovre, going back to Latin opera "activity, effort, attention, work," collective derivative from oper-, opus "work, effort, product of labor" — more at opus

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for oeuvre

• louvre