still life
noun
plural still lifes
1
: a picture consisting predominantly of inanimate objects
2
: the category of graphic arts concerned with inanimate subject matter
Examples of still life in a Sentence
an exhibit of still lifes
She prefers portraiture to still life.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yang has long been making Rococo and Old Masters influenced paintings, often speaking of French Court painting, and Dutch still lifes, and the soft power of the cultivation of female identity.
—
Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
That series combines portraits of women lifted from Hmong dating websites with Her’s own portraits of Hmong women and still lifes of flowers, exploring floral motifs as a symbol of Hmong womanhood and interrogating ideas of gender and desire in a community grappling with entrenched patriarchy.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 4 Aug. 2025
Composed still lifes of finished breakfast on fine plates and clothes strewn about in his sleek Tribeca penthouse are the material substitute for any emotional understanding.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 June 2025
No Dutch flower painter was more renowned in her time than Rachel Ruysch, whose exquisite still lifes sold for even more than masterpieces by contemporaries like Rembrandt.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for still life
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Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
That series combines portraits of women lifted from Hmong dating websites with Her’s own portraits of Hmong women and still lifes of flowers, exploring floral motifs as a symbol of Hmong womanhood and interrogating ideas of gender and desire in a community grappling with entrenched patriarchy.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 4 Aug. 2025
Composed still lifes of finished breakfast on fine plates and clothes strewn about in his sleek Tribeca penthouse are the material substitute for any emotional understanding.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 June 2025
No Dutch flower painter was more renowned in her time than Rachel Ruysch, whose exquisite still lifes sold for even more than masterpieces by contemporaries like Rembrandt.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for still life
Cite this Entry
“Still life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/still%20life. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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