oil painting
Americannoun
-
the art or technique of painting with oil colors.
-
a painting executed in oil colors.
noun
-
a picture painted with oil paints
-
the art or process of painting with oil paints
-
informal he is not good-looking
Other Word Forms
- oil painter noun
Etymology
Origin of oil painting
First recorded in 1775–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One exhibition space features a rarely shown oil painting which Central Library architect Bertram Goodhue commissioned to convince the library administration and board of commissioners to approve his eclectic building design.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
At their feet, a regal Airedale terrier named Phoebe lounges, looking as though she belongs in an oil painting.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Monaco's royal Christmas card is much grander, with a big fire, oil painting, formal clothes, and a sense of regal order.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025
In the oil painting, a young woman in a red dress sits on the edge of a motel bed, gripping the footboard tensely.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2025
He was assailed by the sight of a life-size oil painting of a man in uniform with enough facial hair to stuff a small cushion.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
