milieu
- 01 C1 Advanced
the social, cultural, or physical environment that surrounds a person or group.
the social environment or setting in which a person lives or in which something happens.
Simple“Growing up in a musical milieu, she learned to play three instruments before she was ten.”
In context“The artist's early work was heavily influenced by the bohemian milieu of Paris in the 1920s.”
UsageUsually used with the definite article 'the' or a possessive adjective like 'his' or 'her'.
- 02 C1 Advanced
a specific group of people who share the same social class or way of thinking.
a specific social class or group of people who share a common point of view or cultural background.
Simple“He felt out of place in the wealthy milieu of his new university.”
In context“The novel provides a sharp critique of the political milieu that dominated the capital during the late nineteenth century.”
“Now, in my 40s, I empathize with the sentimental attachment to the film’s pre-globalized milieu.”
“All of which is to say that he now operates in a decidedly middle-class milieu.”
PIE word *me Borrowed from French milieu (“physical or social environment; group of people with a common point of view”), from Middle French milieu, meilleu, mileu, from Old French milliu, meillieu, mileu (“middle”), from mi- (prefix meaning ‘half’) (from Latin medius (“half; middle”)) + lieu, leu (“place”) (from Latin locus (“place; spot (specific location)”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.