oil painting
Americannoun
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the art or technique of painting with oil colors.
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a painting executed in oil colors.
noun
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a picture painted with oil paints
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the art or process of painting with oil paints
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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.
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
An oil painting depicting a smiling Pretti in glasses, a beanie and a scarf, was among the most recent.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026
It is the earliest-known oil painting ever exhibited by the artist, and is believed to be the only one depicting a Bristol scene.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025
You learn all of it — art drawing, oil painting, mixed media.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2025
As he had the summer before, he works especially hard on his oil painting.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
