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tableau

[ta-bloh, tab-loh] / tæˈbloʊ, ˈtæb loʊ /
NOUN
scene, often painted
Synonyms


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.

The album was “Transference,” its cover a grainy seventies tableau — a boy slinking low in a golden wingback chair, viridian curtains pooling behind him, a table lamp casting an almost aggressively orange glow.

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2025

But as the company grew, marketing its locations as a tableau in which to “stay awhile” ultimately meant there was a finite number of people they could sell coffee to per day.

From Slate • Dec. 22, 2025

Christmas often inspires visions of perfection: the geometrically precise tree, the artfully arranged mantel, the candlelit feast a flawless tableau.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

It can all seem so flawless in that golden moment before the guests arrive, though the presence of actual people quickly complicates any Thanksgiving tableau.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Behind the riders, the Methodist church staged a patriotic tableau, and then the children of the Wolf Creek School—minus their star pupil, Chase—marched, adorned with blue sashes and singing “Over There.”

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson




Vocabulary lists containing tableau


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