What does milieu mean?
Word: Milieu
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Milieu means the people, customs and surroundings that make up someone's daily world.
How do you spell milieu?
Syllables: mi - lieu
Tricky part: The end is the trap: three vowels, i, e, u, in that order. They come from French, and nothing in the English sound gives them away.
Watch out for: milieau, miliew
Memory tip: Adieu, another word from French, ends with the same three vowels, so let adieu carry them for you.
Milieu in a sentence
Example 1: Growing up in a scientific milieu, Priya learnt to ask questions early.
Example 2: The painter felt at home in the artistic milieu of Santiniketan.
Example 3: A new school can feel strange until you settle into its social milieu.
Fun Fact
The French parts of the word mean 'mid' and 'place', so your milieu is the place you stand in the middle of. Its plural can be milieux or milieus.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
millieu
a) l
b) i
c) u
d) e
Show answer
a) l. Only one l is needed, even though mill has two.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
Few novels capture the eiulmi of old Lucknow as well as this one.
a) mileage
b) million
c) milieu
d) miracle
Show answer
c) milieu. Only one option has six letters.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word milieu as used in the sentence:
Ravi's plays draw on the milieu of small-town railway workers.
a) environment
b) celebration
c) examination
d) distance
Show answer
a) environment. The plays draw on the world those workers live in.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning.
1. bouqet 2. chaufeur 3. rendevous 4. milieu
a) a bunch of flowers tied together
b) a person paid to drive someone's car
c) the setting a person's life takes place in
d) a meeting arranged for a set time and place
Show answer
c) the setting a person's life takes place in. Bouquet has a u after the q, chauffeur a double f, and rendezvous a z.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A film is set in the milieu of Mumbai's street musicians. What will it mostly show?
a) the rules of classical music
b) the design of their instruments
c) their daily lives and company
d) the history of the city's trains
Show answer
c) their daily lives and company
2. Which is a fair description of a writer's literary milieu?
a) the authors and editors she mixes with
b) the prizes she has won so far
c) the pens and paper she prefers
d) the pages of her latest book
Show answer
a) the authors and editors she mixes with
