mot juste

American  

[moh zhyst] / moʊ ˈʒüst /

noun

French.

• mots justes
  plural

1. the exact, appropriate word.

---

mot juste British  

/ mo ʒyst /

noun

1. the appropriate word or expression

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mots justes
  plural

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mot juste

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 as Barnum ended nearly a century of trying to edit that sense of wonder into the mot juste, he finally nailed it at the end.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 18, 2019

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

“Snoots are those who are nit-pickers for the mot juste, for using a word precisely the way it should be used,” he explained.

From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2015

I decided that 'dim' was the mot juste for him.

From Seven Men by Sir Max Beerbohm

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---