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

• output
• 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

What is exceptionally unique about Joel’s oeuvre is that, where most of the rest of rock ‘n roll draws on the blues for its fuel, his work is powered so heavily by European classical music. —Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 18 July 2025

The fest highlighted the effect the Italian director and screenwriter’s oeuvre has had on audiences. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025

Even as Marvel’s cinematic oeuvre slid into increasing irrelevance, DC floundered. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

Both the novelist’s oeuvre and the HBO drama are set among the upper echelons of New York society in the late 19th century, documenting frictions both large (the rise of a new industrial elite) and small (imperceptible breaches of etiquette). —Alison Herman, Variety, 20 June 2025

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