Definitions

c'est la vie

[se la vee] / sɛ la ˈvi /

INTERJECTION

it is written

Synonyms

WEAK

it is fated it's in the cards oh well que sera sera such is life that's how the cookie crumbles that's life that's reality what will be will be

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.

Guillermo del Toro’s almost realized “The Rise and Fall of Jabba the Hutt” was scrapped, but the filmmaker is saying c’est la vie.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2023

The term never caught on — ut c’est la vie.

From The Verge • May 31, 2022

There was little other action on the Senate floor as the hours passed, even as the Assembly chugged along with various minor bills and a vague sense of c’est la vie.

From New York Times • Jun. 21, 2018

Beautiful hair came at a price, but I figured a scalp dotted with blisters was mine: c’est la vie.

From The Guardian • Feb. 4, 2017

To Philip it seemed crude and stupid; the naive obscenity—c'est la vie, mon cher, c'est la vie, he cried—the naive obscenity served only to emphasise the conventionality of the anecdote.

From Of Human Bondage by Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset)