tableau
noun
tab·leau ˈta-ˌblō 
ta-ˈblō
ta-ˈblō plural tableaux ˈta-ˌblōz
ta-ˈblōz
also tableaus 1
: a graphic description or representation : picture
winsome tableaux of old-fashioned literary days
J. D. Hart
J. D. Hart2
: a striking or artistic grouping : arrangement, scene
3
[short for tableau vivant (from French, literally, living picture)] : a depiction of a scene usually presented on a stage by silent and motionless costumed participants
Example Sentences
The houses are grouped together in a charming tableau.
Recent Examples on the Web The main street in Loppersum - a village of 2,500 - is now a grim tableau of the quake years, including small tremors that continue today despite much-reduced extraction. Anthony Faiola, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2022 Each of the seven crime scenes is a hellish tableau of writer Andrew Kevin Walker's imagining, lending a structure to the detectives' quest that gradually leads straight down into the unthinkable, still-shocking conclusion. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2022 The video, directed by V, is a vibrant tableau of positive vibes. Dora Segall, SPIN, 22 July 2022 His Mengele takes his place in a vividly detailed tableau of South American society, ensconced in a circle of fugitive Nazis that includes Adolf Eichmann. Amanda Demarco, WSJ, 22 July 2022 At SoFi, images of naked women gyrated in silhouette on a video screen behind the band, just like in the good old days; two enormous female-shaped inflatables eventually came to life to complete the horny tableau. Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 The iconic tableau, which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors annually before the pandemic, is housed in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. CNN, 29 June 2022 Her public housing complex, Kwai Chung, had turned into a dystopian tableau. Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2022 One steam-bath afternoon in the summer of 2010, Collins and Reid were summoned by the authorities to a grim tableau. Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2022 See More
Anthony Faiola, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2022 Each of the seven crime scenes is a hellish tableau of writer Andrew Kevin Walker's imagining, lending a structure to the detectives' quest that gradually leads straight down into the unthinkable, still-shocking conclusion. Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2022 The video, directed by V, is a vibrant tableau of positive vibes. Dora Segall, SPIN, 22 July 2022 His Mengele takes his place in a vividly detailed tableau of South American society, ensconced in a circle of fugitive Nazis that includes Adolf Eichmann. Amanda Demarco, WSJ, 22 July 2022 At SoFi, images of naked women gyrated in silhouette on a video screen behind the band, just like in the good old days; two enormous female-shaped inflatables eventually came to life to complete the horny tableau. Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 The iconic tableau, which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors annually before the pandemic, is housed in the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. CNN, 29 June 2022 Her public housing complex, Kwai Chung, had turned into a dystopian tableau. Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2022 One steam-bath afternoon in the summer of 2010, Collins and Reid were summoned by the authorities to a grim tableau. Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
French, from Middle French tablel, diminutive of table, from Old French
First Known Use
1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing tableau
Kids Definition
tableau
noun
tab·leau ˈta-ˌblō
plural tableaux also tableaus
-ˌlōz
: a scene or event shown by a group of persons who remain still and silent
tableau
noun
1
as in mise-en-scène
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- mise-en-scène
- backdrop
- scene
- scenery
- background
- locale
- setting
- set
2
as in spectacle
Synonyms & Similar Words
- spectacle
- exhibition
- panorama
- production
- presentation
- montage
- extravaganza
- demonstration
- performance
- procession
- parade
- kaleidoscope
- show
- drama
- progress
- dramatization
- pageant
- cavalcade
- play
- counterblast
- counterblasts
- counterblockade
- counterblockaded
- counterblockades
- counterblockading
- counterblow
- counterblows
- counterbombardments
- counterbore
- counterbores
- counterboy
- counterbrace
- counterbrand
- counterbuff
- countercampaign
- countercampaigns
- countercast
- countercaster
- counterchallenged
- counterchallengeed
- counterchallengeing
- counterchallenges
- counterchallenging
- counterchange