cause célèbre

noun

cause cé·​lè·​bre ˌkȯz-sə-ˈleb  -ˈle-brə 

ˌkōz-,

-ˈlebrᵊ

variants or less commonly cause celebre

plural causes célèbres also causes celebres

same

 

1

: a legal case that excites widespread interest

2

: a notorious person, thing, incident, or episode

Synonyms

• celebrity
• star
• name
• personality
• superstar
• hero

Examples of cause célèbre in a Sentence

a cause célèbre from some reality TV show whose fame hadn't even lasted the proverbial 15 minutes

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, celebrated case

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1