oeuvre

[œ-vr^uh]

noun

French.

plural

oeuvres 

1. the works of a writer, painter, or the like, taken as a whole.

2. any one of the works of a writer, painter, or the like.

oeuvre

/ œvrə /

noun

1. a work of art, literature, music, etc

2. the total output of a writer, painter, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of oeuvre¹

ultimately from Latin opera, plural of opus work

Example Sentences

So it’s necessary—and not unfair—to ask whether Mr. Tremlett’s book adds anything new to the Franco oeuvre.

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Mr. Dowling is a discerning and sympathetic, if occasionally starchy, guide through Shepard’s oeuvre.

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But there’s more to Sheridan’s oeuvre than cowboys showing off on their horses for the full length of a song.

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She has a preternatural belief in her own instincts and a boundless curiosity that, taken together, help explain the extraordinarily rich life and oeuvre she’s constructed.

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“Riot Women” is, in many ways, a distillation of her oeuvre.

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When To Use

What does oeuvre mean?

An artist’s oeuvre is their total body of work.Oeuvre can also refer to a single work of art, but it most commonly refers to the collective work of an artist over a lifetime.Oeuvre is a formal word most commonly used in the discussion of artists like painters, composers, and literary figures. Because it’s a French loanword and it’s a kind of hard to pronounce, oeuvre is sometimes considered a bit pretentious.Example: Common throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s oeuvre is the theme of indulgence, most evident in his standout novel The Great Gatsby.