mot juste

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So the word is out, and it’s le mot juste.

From New York Times • Oct. 21, 2021

Gainsbourg is bilingual, but French is her first language; she pauses occasionally in our conversation to search around for le mot juste.

From The Guardian • Oct. 26, 2019

“And if they don’t want to feel rich, then they’re probably—” He pauses to consider the mot juste, then adds, “Dead.”

From The New Yorker • Jul. 13, 2018

In January, when PhD students jostle for jobs at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, a “market” might seem the mot juste.

From Economist • Nov. 24, 2016

It occurred to me that "hungry" was perhaps the mot juste for him; but—hungry for what?

From Enoch Soames: a memory of the eighteen-nineties by Beerbohm, Max, Sir