mot juste

Definition

The perfectly appropriate word or phrase for the situation.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French mot juste.

Example Sentences

• "She legged it, and for a moment silence reigned. Then Bobbie said, “Phew!” and I agreed that “Phew!” was the mot juste."
• "Wattpad is not the sort of site where writers talk about suffering for their art or spend hours searching for the mot juste."