tableau

noun

tab·​leau ˈta-ˌblō  ta-ˈblō 

plural tableaux ˈta-ˌblōz 

ta-ˈblōz

also tableaus

1

: a graphic description or representation : picture

winsome tableaux of old-fashioned literary days

—J. D. Hart

2

: a striking or artistic grouping : arrangement, scene

3

[short for tableau vivant (from French, literally, living picture)] : a depiction of a scene usually presented on a stage by silent and motionless costumed participants

Examples of tableau in a Sentence

The houses are grouped together in a charming tableau.

Recent Examples on the Web

Once day Onesti witnessed a terrible ghostly tableau; a young woman who had declined the love of a knight was hunted down by the knight and killed daily at a particular spot. —Tithi Bhattacharya / Made By History, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

Events filled with floral arrangements rivaling a Jan van Huysum botanical tableau. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2024

Berger mounts whispered conversations in shadowy hallways, deploys slow-motion sequences backed up by an operatic score, and builds striking tableaus of cardinals warily eyeing one another—elements that are then deliberately paired with hammy, self-aware dialogue. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024

The background tableau never far away from anyone’s thoughts in the post-Soviet space is the war in Ukraine. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French tablel, diminutive of table, from Old French

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing tableau

• tableau curtain

Kids Definition

tableau

noun

tab·​leau ˈtab-ˌlō  ta-ˈblō 

plural tableaux -ˌlōz 

-blōz

also tableaus

: a scene or event shown by a group of persons in costume who remain silent and motionless