Synonyms

milieu

American

[mil-yoo, meel-, mee-lyœ] / mɪlˈyʊ, mil-, miˈlyœ /

noun

plural

milieus,

plural

milieux

surroundings, especially of a social or cultural nature.

a snobbish milieu.

Synonyms:

setting, sphere, background

milieu British

/ miljø, ˈmiːljɜː /

noun

surroundings, location, or setting

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See environment.

Etymology

Origin of milieu

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French, equivalent to mi (from Latin medius “middle”; medium ) + lieu lieu

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.

Even more unusual, in this particular political milieu, was her expressed compassion for Palestinian Muslims.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

But “wait and see” isn’t where you want to find yourself in today’s current market milieu.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

When she didn't go through Nashville and its country-music milieu, "it sort of threw people for a loop", he told the BBC.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

This time, he tantalizes us with the milieu of nightclub self-expression and a group of regular amateurs Alex gets comfortable hanging with.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

“Finally, adoption agencies routinely send staff members to evaluate the child’s milieu, and no reasonable agency is going to send an agent to Afghanistan.”

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023