je ne sais quoi

noun

: something (such as an appealing quality) that cannot be adequately described or expressed
a young actress who has a certain je ne sais quoi

Examples of je ne sais quoi in a Sentence

Although the sculpture had flaws, it also had a certain je ne sais quoi that made it very appealing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For any room that lacks a little je ne sais quoi, look no further than Pierce & Ward’s new collection for West Elm. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 16 Apr. 2025 On the high end, these are popular crowd pleasers with good food that is sometimes great, that just seem to be missing that certain je ne sais quoi. Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 3 Apr. 2025 On social media, Missoma is that girl, with followers obsessing over the particular je ne sais quoi that its jewelry exudes, which can be placed in the category of quiet luxury. Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 20 Mar. 2025 Browned butter gives them that je ne sais quoi quality that will have your new neighbors reaching out for the recipe. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for je ne sais quoi

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, I know not what

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of je ne sais quoi was circa 1656

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Je ne sais quoi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/je%20ne%20sais%20quoi. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on je ne sais quoi

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!