lifework
noun
life·work
ˈlīf-ˈwərk 
: the entire or principal work of one's lifetime
also
: a work extending over a lifetime
Examples of lifework in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Among the influencers in those meetings was Arturo Schomburg, a Puerto Rican historian of African descent who, as a young child, often wondered about the lack of African history taught in his classrooms, an interest that formed the cornerstone of his lifework of research and preservation.
—
Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
From a restricted viewing area not far away, Louise Prockter, a graceful scientist with sandy hair, glanced at a countdown clock and then back at the rocket, which carried her lifework.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2024
Among the influencers in those meetings was Arturo Schomburg, a Puerto Rican historian of African descent who, as a young child, often wondered about the lack of African history taught in his classrooms, an interest that formed the cornerstone of his lifework of research and preservation.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
Plus: Big Tech’s swearing in Amanda Petrusich remembers Garth Hudson
An origami master who lost his lifework in the L.A. fires
What if the Attention Crisis Is All a Distraction?
—Erin Neil, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
Young artists want to reclaim their vision READ PART 2:Native art, Native artists: Breaking down the 'wall': Indigenous art masters inspired to rebel against gatekeepers
How an accident led to a career
Pruitt came to his lifework literally by accident.
—Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
How an accident led to a career Pruitt came to his lifework literally by accident.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
Don Luigi Ciotti, a seventy-nine-year-old priest, has become a household name in Italy for his lifework as an anti-Mafia activist.
—Hannah Jocelyn, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
What has defined his lifework has been the 30 months between the two.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024
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Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
From a restricted viewing area not far away, Louise Prockter, a graceful scientist with sandy hair, glanced at a countdown clock and then back at the rocket, which carried her lifework.
—David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2024
Among the influencers in those meetings was Arturo Schomburg, a Puerto Rican historian of African descent who, as a young child, often wondered about the lack of African history taught in his classrooms, an interest that formed the cornerstone of his lifework of research and preservation.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
Plus: Big Tech’s swearing in Amanda Petrusich remembers Garth Hudson
An origami master who lost his lifework in the L.A. fires
What if the Attention Crisis Is All a Distraction?
—Erin Neil, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
Young artists want to reclaim their vision READ PART 2:Native art, Native artists: Breaking down the 'wall': Indigenous art masters inspired to rebel against gatekeepers
How an accident led to a career
Pruitt came to his lifework literally by accident.
—Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
How an accident led to a career Pruitt came to his lifework literally by accident.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2024
Don Luigi Ciotti, a seventy-nine-year-old priest, has become a household name in Italy for his lifework as an anti-Mafia activist.
—Hannah Jocelyn, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
What has defined his lifework has been the 30 months between the two.
—Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Lifework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifework. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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lifework
noun
life·work
-ˈwərk
: the entire or chief work of one's lifetime
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