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

Sliman Mansour, a pivotal figure in contemporary Arab art history, with an oeuvre synonymous with the struggle for Palestinian statehood, has died at 79. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

An easy way to tell them apart is that his oeuvre is mostly large and made up of animals, while hers, smaller and more detailed, takes inspiration from the plant world. — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026

One unusual thing about the Dead is that the bulk of their oeuvre was penned by non-performing songwriters, chiefly Robert Hunter, who collaborated mainly with Jerry Garcia. — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

Nevertheless, a cult has grown steadily in appreciation of Carpenter’s whole musical oeuvre. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 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