still life

noun

plural

still lifes 

1. a representation chiefly of inanimate objects, as a painting of a bowl of fruit.

2. the category of subject matter in which inanimate objects are represented, as in painting or photography.

still life

noun

1. 1. a painting or drawing of inanimate objects, such as fruit, flowers, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a still-life painting

2. the genre of such paintings

Other Word Forms

• still-life adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of still life¹

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

In today’s atmosphere of radical white reassertion, drawing attention to such an honor would risk the disappearance of that now award-winning story, which still lives — and educates the public — on executive branch servers.

Read more on Salon

Ronan, better known as a painter in New York’s contemporary art world, chronicles a collection of still lives who jostle themselves out of an emotional stupor.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For all the movie’s crisp attention to bifurcated lives, “The History of Sound” more aptly resembles a painstakingly dry still life than a moving picture.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mr Rudge, who still lives in Wolverhampton, said the impact of his school days had left him angry and wary of authority.

Read more on BBC

At some point she decided to study painting, and spent 60 years making portraits, self-portraits and still lifes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times