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

In addition to displaying her oeuvre, the museum has rounded up her various cultural and stylistic influences from Black Power Movement ephemera to pre-Hispanic sculptural references, pinpointing how Catlett’s intersectional politics were syncretic with her formal techniques. —Shameekia Shantel Johnson, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024

The writer behind a new book exploring the beloved filmmaker's oeuvre takes a look at her relationship to her favorite setting. October 30, 2024 All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. —Ilana Kaplan, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2024

She’s worked in several genres throughout her career, and each of her projects brings something new to her oeuvre, but there are also plenty of throughlines that connect her studio efforts. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

But echoes like this are trivial compared to the more obvious areas of overlap between Sorkin’s oeuvre and Saturday Night. —Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 8 Oct. 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