plural milieus or milieux
mēl-ˈyüz 
-ˈyə(r)(z)
-ˈyə(r)(z)
-ˈyœ(z);
ˈmēl-ˌyü(z)
: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops : environment
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Milieu Entered English in the 1800s
Milieu comes from Old French mi (meaning "middle") and lieu ("place"). The word refers to an environment or setting. In English, lieu also is used to mean "place" and most often occurs in the phrase "in lieu of," as in "Cash is preferred but in lieu of cash a credit card is acceptable."
Synonyms
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
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
The milieu of this show is rich with the kind of fine, knowing detail that makes for great television.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
In the absence of a gold standard SIBO diagnostic, doctors still broadly disagree on how big of a role the condition may play in triggering the whole IBS milieu.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 24 Oct. 2024
Featuring mini boulders, the aforementioned blue flowers, and a staff with metallic skulls, the scene had all the whimsy of a fantastical milieu.
—Peter A. Berry, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024
As Strachan explained before the performance—the members take turns talking to the audience, all showing a flair for communicative chat—Dvořák wrote the work after his sojourn in the United States, seeming to wallow happily in a return to a Czech milieu.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for milieu 
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Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
In the absence of a gold standard SIBO diagnostic, doctors still broadly disagree on how big of a role the condition may play in triggering the whole IBS milieu.
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 24 Oct. 2024
Featuring mini boulders, the aforementioned blue flowers, and a staff with metallic skulls, the scene had all the whimsy of a fantastical milieu.
—Peter A. Berry, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024
As Strachan explained before the performance—the members take turns talking to the audience, all showing a flair for communicative chat—Dvořák wrote the work after his sojourn in the United States, seeming to wallow happily in a return to a Czech milieu.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for milieu
Dictionary Entries Near milieu
Cite this Entry
“Milieu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milieu. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
milieu
noun
mi·lieu
mēl-ˈyə(r)
-ˈyü
-ˈyü
ˈmēl-ˌyü
Medical Definition
milieu
noun
mi·lieu
mēl-ˈyə(r)
-ˈyü; ˈmēl-ˌyü
-ˈyü; ˈmēl-ˌyü
mē-lyœ̅
plural milieus or milieux
-ˈyə(r)(z), -ˈyüz; -ˌyü(z), -lyœ̅(z)
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