still life

American  

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.

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still life British  

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

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Other Word Forms

• still-life adjective

Etymology

Origin of still life

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

Levito, skating in her mother’s hometown of Milan where her grandmother still lives, calmly aced her Olympic debut with a score of 70.84 that put her in eighth place.

From Los Angeles Times

He still lives in the more than century-old house his grandfather built.

From The Wall Street Journal

This stylistic approach allows Herbert to expertly avoid inadvertently selling Natchez itself, instead focusing on how this town’s peculiar relationship to an overwhelming past still lives inside those doing the selling.

From Los Angeles Times

"Today we are going to draw still lifes," said the teacher.

From Literature

Brat Summer still lives on in its feral children.

From Los Angeles Times