raison d'être

American  

[rey-zohn de-truh, re-zawn de-tr^uh] / ˈreɪ zoʊn ˈdɛ trə, rɛ zɔ̃ ˈdɛ trə /

noun

raisons d'être plural

1. reason or justification for being or existence.

   Art is the artist's raison d'être.

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raison d'être British  

/ rɛzɔ̃ dɛtrə /

noun

1. reason or justification for existence

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raison d'être Cultural  

1. A basic, essential purpose; a reason to exist: “Professor Naylor argues that in the nuclear age, infantry forces have lost their raison d'être.” From French, meaning “reason for being.”

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• raisons d'être
  plural

Etymology

Origin of raison d'être

Borrowed into English from French around 1865–70

Example Sentences

A concert might sound like an odd raison d’etre for visiting a foreign country, especially when fans can watch the Eras Tour from home via the documentary now streaming on Disney+.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2024

Outstanding work, Desai agreed, has to be the raison d’etre of their collective efforts.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2024

How much mileage can there be in a literary magazine whose raison d’etre is just: Taco Bell?

From Slate • Sep. 8, 2023

His theoretical death has therefore long been the HBO show’s raison d’etre, even if it became increasingly unthinkable over the course of its crisp but repetitive seasons.

From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2023

She made extensive use of the word "erudite," and confused a great many people by employing "vicarious" and "didactic" and "raison d'etre" in the course of ordinary conversation.

From Quill's Window by McCutcheon, George Barr