Synonyms for raison d'etre


Grammar : Noun
Spell : rey-zohn de-truh; French re-zawn de-truh
Phonetic Transcription : ˈreɪ zoʊn ˈdɛ trə; French rɛ zɔ̃ ˈdɛ trə


Définition of raison d'etre

Origin :
  • "excuse for being," 1864, first recorded in letter of J.S. Mill, from French raison d'être, literally "rational grounds for existence."
  • noun reason for being
Example sentences :
  • The raison d'etre therefore for the book is convenience and arrangement.
  • Extract from : « A Field Book of the Stars » by William Tyler Olcott
  • Of course the raison d'etre of being here is the sulphur spring.
  • Extract from : « Their Pilgrimage » by Charles Dudley Warner
  • The raison d'etre of marriage is human happiness now and in the generations to follow.
  • Extract from : « Race Improvement : or, Eugenics : a Little Book on a Great Subject » by La Reine Helen Baker
  • The discussion of this proposal seems to make plain the raison d'etre for the existence of the Sentinel.
  • Extract from : « The Day of the Confederacy » by Nathaniel W. Stephenson
  • Moreover, we have the raison d'etre of the ghost: she had been a victim of the Chief Justice in Eyre.
  • Extract from : « The Valet's Tragedy and Other Stories » by Andrew Lang
  • The question was sufficiently important to demand an experimental solution; hence the raison d'etre of the present demonstration.
  • Extract from : « Scientific American Supplement, No. 601, July 9, 1887 » by Various
  • So my reader will perhaps understand the raison d'etre of the proverb, "The lawyers own England."
  • Extract from : « Bidwell's Travels, from Wall Street to London Prison » by Austin Biron Bidwell

Words or expressions associated with your search


Most wanted synonyms

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019