métier

American  

[mey-tyey, mey-tyey] / ˈmeɪ tyeɪ, meɪˈtyeɪ /

noun

1. a field of work; occupation, trade, or profession.

2. a field of work or other activity in which one has special ability or training; forte.

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métier British  

/ ˈmɛtɪeɪ /

noun

1. a profession or trade, esp that to which one is well suited

2. a person's strong point or speciality

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Etymology

Origin of métier

1785–95; < French; Old French mestier < Gallo-Romance *misterium, for Latin ministerium ministry

Example Sentences

Huneven’s mother was a fierce critic whose métier was the unprovoked insult.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

Already you anticipate that some of these interviews aren’t going to go Leonard’s way as Schrader’s métier, the language of self-excoriating doubt, finds voice.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2024

“Steve Albini wasn’t interested in ‘perfecting’ a song or a performance: His métier was getting the best sound from the equipment and pressing ‘record,’” the Breeders bassist Josephine Wiggs said in a 2008 news release.

From New York Times • May 8, 2024

It “lacks focus and stability,” he wrote, “its métier is bearing witness, demonstrating solidarity.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 1, 2023

It would seem that even to him, the figure of bronze, it was what she should seek as her métier.

From The Rhodesian by Page, Gertrude