Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

faute de mieux

/foʊt də ˈmjə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.25 in modern English

Syllables: faute de mieux
IPA: /foʊt də ˈmjə(ɹ)/

25

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

For want of something better; for lack of an alternative; as a makeshift.

Example Sentences

"I just married her faute de mieux."
"Then, Alas! any body was company for every body and the first lord of the land did not think it shame, faute de mieux, to take up with the conversation of his butler, or his game-keeper, over a tankard; while the young ladies, faute de tout, danced "Bobbing Joan," with the rest of the domestics in the servants' hall."
"Among the explanations commonly advanced are: (1) Greek males were driven to seek romance and sexual gratification with other males, faute de mieux, by the seclusion and enforced intellectual impoverishment of *women; (2) […]"

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French faute de mieux.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /foʊt də ˈmjə(ɹ)/
British English: /fəʊt də ˈmjɜː/

Inflected Forms

more faute de mieux (comparative) most faute de mieux (superlative)

Questions

How do you pronounce faute de mieux?: The recorded pronunciation is /foʊt də ˈmjə(ɹ)/.
What does faute de mieux mean?: For want of something better; for lack of an alternative; as a makeshift.
Where does faute de mieux come from?: Unadapted borrowing from French faute de mieux.

How to pronounce faute de mieux

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