milieu

noun

mi·​lieu mēl-ˈyü  -ˈyər 

-ˈyə,

-ˈyœ;

ˈmēl-ˌyü

plural milieus or milieux mēl-ˈyüz  -ˈyə(r)(z) 

-ˈyœ(z);

ˈmēl-ˌyü(z)

: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops : environment

Did you know?

Milieu Entered English in the 1800s

Milieu comes from Old French mi (meaning "middle") and lieu ("place"). The word refers to an environment or setting. In English, lieu also is used to mean "place" and most often occurs in the phrase "in lieu of," as in "Cash is preferred but in lieu of cash a credit card is acceptable."

Synonyms

• ambient
• atmosphere
• climate
• clime
• context
• contexture
• environment
• environs
• medium
• mise-en-scène
• setting
• surround
• surroundings
• terrain

Choose the Right Synonym for milieu

background, setting, environment, milieu, mise-en-scène mean the place, time, and circumstances in which something occurs.

background often refers to the circumstances or events that precede a phenomenon or development.

the shocking decision was part of the background of the riots

setting suggests looking at real-life situations in literary or dramatic terms.

a militant reformer who was born into an unlikely social setting

environment applies to all the external factors that have a formative influence on one's physical, mental, or moral development.

the kind of environment that produces juvenile delinquents

milieu applies especially to the physical and social surroundings of a person or group of persons.

an intellectual milieu conducive to artistic experimentation

mise-en-scène strongly suggests the use of properties to achieve a particular atmosphere or theatrical effect.

a gothic thriller with a carefully crafted mise-en-scène

Examples of milieu in a Sentence

Theirs was a bohemian milieu in which people often played romantic musical chairs. —Edmund White, New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009

People in France admire the United States, and much of what passes for anti-Americanism is limited to the intellectual milieu of Paris. —Jonathan Alter et al., Newsweek, 29 May 2000

She might stay home, might marry and live as a housewife. And if her milieu does not sanction such a solution, there are, she knows, milieux which do. —David Mamet, Jafsie and John Henry: Essays, 1999

Certainly there are very few American milieus today in which having read the latest work of Joyce Carol Oates or Richard Ford is more valuable, as social currency, than having caught the latest John Travolta movie or knowing how to navigate the Web. —Jonathan Franzen, Harper's, April 1996

They're caught in their own hazy milieu—working, smoking, talking, drinking. —Gerri Hirshey, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 1992

young, innovative artists thrive in the freewheeling milieu that a big city offers

Recent Examples on the Web

One of the things Sean Baker does exceptionally well is draw us into a vivid and highly specific milieu, nurturing our affections for characters who are rough-edged, to put it mildly, and then whip up a vortex of steadily escalating chaos. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024

Most everyone who listens is also probably already familiar with Portishead’s whole milieu of sour times and Gibbons’ recordings of composer Henryk Górecki’s heartbreaking Symphony No. 3. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024

The milieu of Honor Levy's fiction is undeniably white and privileged, but her best stories exaggerate that milieu to great satirical effect. —Leland Cheuk, NPR, 14 May 2024

This activity is the EEG, the electrical milieu that bathes brain tissue. —Giridhar Kalamangalam, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024

Like a lot of autofiction, the book monitors the daily routine of a solitary narrator in an urban milieu. —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024

My millennial companion only knows a little of the history and milieu of this story but still found the production thrilling. —Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2024

One bombshell lawsuit that will, at bare minimum, mangle Diddy’s career, came from a young man who was welcomed into his inner circle and, according to that producer, exited the mogul’s milieu after he was allegedly groomed, abused and exploited. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024

Free, who plays Sister Margaret, provides an easily identifiable entry point into the film’s appropriately Goth-looking milieu. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French, midst, from mi middle (from Latin medius) + lieu place, from Latin locus — more at mid, stall

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

milieu

noun

mi·​lieu mēl-ˈyə(r)  -ˈyü 

ˈmēl-ˌyü

: surroundings, setting

Medical Definition

milieu

noun

mi·​lieu mēl-ˈyə(r)  -ˈyü; ˈmēl-ˌyü 

mē-lyœ̅

plural milieus or milieux -ˈyə(r)(z), -ˈyüz; -ˌyü(z), -lyœ̅(z) 

: environment