mot juste
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.
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
I always think that’s a wonderful fault, if it is a fault—constantly looking for not just the mot juste, as it were, but to give a spin on the mot juste.
From The New Yorker • Feb. 4, 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
Searching, like Flaubert, for le seul mot juste, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. offered “tawdry” and “distasteful” to describe McDonnell’s behavior.
From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2016
He knew the mot juste, the happy figure, the pat allusion.
From Grey Roses by Harland, Henry