oil painting

noun

1
a
: the act or art of painting in oil colors
b
: a picture painted in oils
2
: painting that uses pigments originally ground in oil

Examples of oil painting in a Sentence

He studied oil painting in college. A large oil painting hangs above the mantel.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In Edvard Munch’s oil painting Two Human Beings (The Lonely Ones), a man and a woman stand side by side, but there’s a noticeable gap between them. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025 Based on the X-ray visuals, experts then created an oil painting of the man. Reuters, CNN, 4 Feb. 2025 In almost any Auerbach oil painting, early or late, rawness is thick on the ground. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024 The sale also included a 1968 oil painting created and signed by Dylan, as well as one of his old guitars, a 1983 Fender Telecaster. Caroline Frost, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for oil painting 

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of oil painting was in 1699

Dictionary Entries Near oil painting

Cite this Entry

“Oil painting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oil%20painting. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

oil painting

noun
: a painting done with oil paints

More from Merriam-Webster on oil painting

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!