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

The Game of Thrones franchise and the Taylor Sheridan oeuvre would be safe. —Alex Cranz, The Verge, 22 Dec. 2023

Yet these patient, contemplative, quietly rapturous studies for piano and synthesizer are not mournful—at least, no more than the rest of the composer’s gorgeously melancholy oeuvre, which spans more than four decades. —Pitchfork, 14 Dec. 2023

Prominent artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Lil Wayne and Eminem all dipped into Axelrod’s oeuvre at one point. —Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023

What the buyer won at that final hammer price, the painting seems a bargain — by virtue of place in the oeuvre, sitter, sterling provenance, and not least, the highly detailed, personal Picasso-family narrative bolted to that specific canvas. —Guy Martin, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023

If these questions unite Moriyama (whose London show runs at the Hayward Gallery, through Jan. 7, 2024) and Sugimoto (at the Photographers’ Gallery, through Feb. 11) their many-decade oeuvres could scarcely be more different. —Emily Labarge, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023

Jon Fosse, a Norwegian writer with an innovative oeuvre about identity and the complexities of human emotion, won the Nobel Prize in literature on October 5. —Vulture, 5 Oct. 2023

Marking the 120th anniversary of the director’s birth, a series at the Pacific Film Archive reveals the compassion and complexity of his distinguished oeuvre. —David Mermelstein, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2023

The show is expansive, even for those well-versed in the artist’s oeuvre. —Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023

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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