Definition of milieu
milieus
ormilieux
play \-ˈyə(r)(z), -ˈyüz, -ˈyœ(z); -ˌyü(z)\: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops : environment
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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 of milieu from the Web
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Each lamp stood in for trillions of solar masses of stars, gas, dust and other assorted members of the galactic milieu.
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Each lamp stood in for trillions of solar masses of stars, gas, dust and other assorted members of the galactic milieu.
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Each lamp stood in for trillions of solar masses of stars, gas, dust and other assorted members of the galactic milieu.
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Planned projections of Hemingway and his Parisian milieu blinked on and off as the production staff tried to figure out what to do and where to go next.
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Don the Beachcomber became one of the most prolific designers in this milieu setting the standard for tiki bar decor while inventing staples like the Mai-tai, Zombie, and pu pu platter.
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.
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.
Synonym Discussion of milieu
MILIEU Defined for English Language Learners
milieu
playDefinition of milieu for English Language Learners
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: the physical or social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of milieu
milieus
ormilieux
\-ˈyə(r)(z), -ˈyüz; -ˌyü(z), -lyœ̅(z)\playLearn More about milieu
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See words that rhyme with milieu Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for milieu Spanish Central: Translation of milieu Nglish: Translation of milieu for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of milieu for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about milieu
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