Definition of MILIEU

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

Milieu Entered English in the 1800s

The etymology of milieu comes down to "mi" and "lieu." English speakers learned the word (and borrowed both its spelling and meaning) from French. The modern French term comes from two much older French forms, mi, meaning "middle," and lieu, meaning "place." Like so many terms in the Romance languages, those Old French forms can ultimately be traced to Latin; "mi" is an offspring of the Latin medius(meaning "middle") and "lieu" is a derivative of "locus" (meaning "place"). English speakers have used "milieu" for the environment or setting of something since at least the mid-1800s, but other "lieu" descendants are much older. We've used both "lieu" itself (meaning "place" or "stead," as in "in lieu of") and "lieutenant" since the 14th century.

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 Cuisine becomes a model for the intuitive allergies and affinities that govern interpersonal relations—and indeed, for the cosmopolitan writer, tasked with adapting the tastiest morsels from every milieu. — Julian Lucas, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 6 Jan. 2020 The director is the South African artist William Kentridge, who is steeped in the Central European Expressionist milieu from which Berg’s ferocious anti-military opera emerged. — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, "Operatic Shows of Force," 6 Jan. 2020 In Jubilee, Tipton-Martin concentrates particularly on the black bourgeoisie, the milieu of her upper-middle-class Los Angeles childhood. — Corby Kummer, The Atlantic, "The 5 Best Cookbooks of 2019," 11 Dec. 2019 Fans of the songwriter rate him as one of the best lyricists in the pop-rock milieu: if not quite at the level of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, then at least not ashamed to stand in their company. — Robert Dean Lurie, National Review, "The Turbulent Life of the Velvet Underground’s Lou Reed," 26 Sep. 2019 Into this male milieu in February 1924 walked Maurine Dallas Watkins. — Rick Kogan, chicagotribune.com, "‘He Had It Coming’ looks back on the ‘Murderess Row’ that inspired ‘Chicago’," 2 Dec. 2019 Visitors look through a peephole (with a lace collar) to see their hero in her milieu, the U.S. Supreme Court, whose curtains are held back by a lacy gloved hand. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "Wee Faerie Village transforms into superhero central, aka Supertopia!," 2 Oct. 2019 Like Chauncy, Matt was born and raised in Memphis, albeit in a different milieu. — Rachel Monroe, The Atlantic, "When GoFundMe Gets Ugly," 9 Oct. 2019 Set in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Orleans and finally Baltimore, the 125 pieces evoke changes in social milieu and way of life, from Bohemianism and drug use to motherhood, widowhood and purpose. — Washington Post, "In these new audiobooks, great tales are matched with great narrators," 17 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'milieu.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.