raison d'état

[ re-zawndey-ta ]

nounplural rai·sons d'é·tat [re-zawndey-ta] /rɛ zɔ̃ deɪˈta/ French.
  1. a purely political reason for governmental action, based on the national interest and often violating principles of justice.

Origin of raison d'état

1
Literally, “reason of state”

Words Nearby raison d'état

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024