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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Against the rough plaster walls and candlelight of the restaurant, the restaurant dishes resemble still lifes by a Dutch Old Master. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 Bess also was an ice skater, whereas a photo on the ice of Truman himself seems to capture him in still life. Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026 In 1912, Georges Braque (1882–1963) had glued strips of fake-wood wallpaper onto a pencil-and-gouache still life titled Fruit Dish and Glass, done in the Analytic Cubist style he’d developed with his colleague/competitor/collaborator Pablo Picasso (1881–1973). Howard Halle, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026 That still life, painted in 1921, was purchased for the raffle from billionaire art collector David Nahmad, who argued in a rare Associated Press interview that Picasso would have approved of raffling his work. ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for still life

Word History

First Known Use

1695, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of still life was in 1695

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Cite this Entry

“Still life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/still%20life. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

still life

noun
plural still lifes
: a picture of an arrangement of objects
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