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

Kaish also plays with celestial shapes in 1978’s Poet in Two Worlds (Deep Space), a standout work of her entire oeuvre. —Grace Edquist, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025

Back at Focus Fest, Liam Newman, a North Hollywood sound engineer and Letterboxd user, came to the event after binging Lanthimos’ oeuvre and is looking forward to the director’s latest. —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025

Over the years, as Berninghaus’ artistic reputation soared, so did the value of his oeuvre. —Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2025

This is very much not the YA-friendly approach of a show like Stranger Things, however, or even something from the Stephen King oeuvre like Firestarter or Carrie. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 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