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 of oeuvre

• 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

The exhibit showcases other Mexican masters, including Kahlo’s husband, Diego Rivera, but the big draw has been Kahlo, whose oeuvre has become a touchstone of feminist and Latin American iconography. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

In recent years, Salle has collaborated with an engineer to develop a generative AI model trained on his own oeuvre. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 8 July 2026

So how did a young Czech director end up making a deep dive into him and his oeuvre? — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026

In addition to museums and university buildings, Pei’s oeuvre includes chapels, public plazas and air traffic control towers. — News Desk, Artforum, 23 June 2026

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