still life
Americannoun
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a representation chiefly of inanimate objects, as a painting of a bowl of fruit.
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the category of subject matter in which inanimate objects are represented, as in painting or photography.
noun
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a painting or drawing of inanimate objects, such as fruit, flowers, etc
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( as modifier )
a still-life painting
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the genre of such paintings
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of still life
First recorded in 1635–45
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.
Next to the screens of combat videos in Madyar's bunker is artwork from renowned Ukrainian painters, including a still life of flowers by Maria Prymachenko.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Lutnick’s testimony this past week, like Bondi’s, is thus operating as a still life in what happens when the law becomes inert.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026
I don’t consider Klee—sui generis—to be a Surrealist, but “Fish Magic,” merging aquarium, children’s art, still life, cosmos and landscape, is the quintessential portrait of a dream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
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.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2025
"Thai is not a still life," said Mr. Kravitz, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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.
