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

Its curators—Ann Temkin and Michelle Kuo of MoMA and Matthew Affron of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the exhibition heads next—do not so much upend Duchamp’s oeuvre as reintroduce it. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026

Raffles London at The OWO’s interiors impresario Thierry Despont sadly died this summer, before the final unveiling of his oeuvre. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Apr. 2026

The album also contains several choice selections that rank among the most lyrically stark and socially charged in Marley’s oeuvre. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026

These echoes of dance music’s past inject new life into the 25-year-old British artist’s soft-spoken oeuvre. —Aimee Cliff, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 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