milieu

mi·lieu

noun \mēl-ˈyə(r), -ˈyü, -ˈyœ; ˈmēl-ˌyü\

plural mi·lieus or mi·lieux \-ˈyə(r)(z), -ˈyüz, -ˈyœ(z); -ˌyü(z)\

Definition of MILIEU

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

Examples of MILIEU

1. <young, innovative artists thrive in the freewheeling milieu that a big city offers>
2. Theirs was a bohemian milieu in which people often played romantic musical chairs. —Edmund White, New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. They're caught in their own hazy milieu—working, smoking, talking, drinking. —Gerri Hirshey, Rolling Stone, 12 Nov. 1992

Origin of MILIEU

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

First Known Use: 1854

Related to MILIEU

Synonyms

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

Related Words

location, place, position, space; backdrop, background; element; situation, status; geography, habitat; microenvironment

See Synonym Discussion at background

Rhymes with MILIEU

accrue, achoo, adieu, ado, Agnew, aircrew, airscrew, anew, askew, babu, Baku, bamboo, battu, battue, bayou, bedew, beshrew, bestrew, bijou, boo-boo, boubou, brand-new, breakthrough, burgoo, cachou, can-do, canoe, caoutchouc, Carew, Cebu, Chonju, construe, Corfu, corkscrew, coypu, CQ, cuckoo, curfew, debut, Depew, doo-doo, ecu, endue, ensue, eschew, floor-through, fondue, fordo, Gansu, Gentoo, Gifu, goo-goo, GQ, ground crew, gumshoe, guru, hairdo, hereto, Hindu, home brew, Honshu, horseshoe, how-to, HQ, Hutu, igloo, imbrue, imbue, IQ, jackscrew, K2, Kansu, karoo, Karoo, kazoo, Khufu, kung fu, Kwangju, leadscrew, lean-to, long view, make-do, Matthew, me-too, mildew, miscue, misdo, muumuu, non-U, old-shoe, one-two, on view, outdo, perdu, Peru, poilu, prau, preview, pursue, purview, ragout, redo, renew, Renfrew, review, revue, rough-hew, run-through, sandshoe, Sardou, see-through, set-to, setscrew, shampoo, sinew, skiddoo, snafu, snowshoe, soft-shoe, span-new, subdue, surtout, taboo, Taegu, tattoo, thank-you, thereto, thumbscrew, to-do, too-too, tree shrew, undo, undue, unglue, unscrew, untrue, vatu, vendue, venue, virtu, voodoo, wahoo, walk-through, wherethrough, whereto, who's who, worldview, yahoo, yoo-hoo

mi·lieu

noun \mēl-ˈyə(r), -ˈyü; ˈmēl-ˌyü, mē-lyœ̅\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; milieusor ; mi·lieux \-ˈyə(r)(z), -ˈyüz; -ˌyü(z), -lyœ̅(z)\ (audio pronunciation)

Medical Definition of MILIEU

: environment