cause célèbre

[kawz suh-leb-ruh, -leb, kohz sey-leb-r^uh]

noun

plural

causes célèbres 

1. any controversy that attracts great public attention, as a celebrated legal case or trial.

cause célèbre

/ koz selɛbrə, ˈkɔːz səˈlɛbrə, -ˈlɛb /

noun

1. a famous lawsuit, trial, or controversy

cause célèbre

1. A cause or issue, generally political, that arouses public opinion: “The question of the draft was a cause célèbre in the 1960s.” From French, meaning “celebrated cause.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cause célèbre¹

First recorded in 1755–65; from French: literally, “famous case”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cause célèbre¹

C19: from French: famous case

Example Sentences

An average of 6.26 million viewers tuned in to watch “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as the comedian addressed his suspension that became a free speech cause celebre, according to Nielsen.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The case of Lucy Connolly has become a cause celebre to some in the UK and beyond.

Read more on BBC

The issue became something of a cause celebre in Republican circles after former President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice launched a crackdown on unscrupulous payday lenders and other high-risk businesses, in part by urging the payment processors and banks that provide those enterprises access to the financial system to be more diligent in looking for signs of fraud.

Read more on Salon

Through it all she remained a cause célèbre and the Scottish press still loved a Big Mags story.

Read more on BBC

But his release remained a cause célèbre for activists on the Marxist-Leninist left, with which he still identifies.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• hot potato 
• talk of the town www.thesaurus.com
• uproar