raison d'être

A philosopher contemplates his raison d'être under a starry sky.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Reason for existence: "raison d'être" refers to the most important reason or purpose for someone or something's existence. It is the fundamental justification for being.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The charity's raison d'être is to provide clean water to remote villages. (The charity's fundamental purpose for existing is to supply clean water.)
  • For many artists, their art is their raison d'être. (Art is the primary reason they live and create.)
  • The company lost its raison d'être after the invention of digital photography. (The company no longer had a clear purpose for continuing to exist.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be one's raison d'être": to be the central or defining purpose of a person's life or work.

  • Her children are her raison d'être. (Her children give her life meaning and direction.)

• "to lose one's raison d'être": to no longer have a clear or meaningful purpose.

  • After retiring from his lifelong career, he felt he had lost his raison d'être. (He felt aimless and without a reason to get up in the morning.)

Variants and Related Words

• Raison d'être (n): This word is borrowed directly from French and is typically used unchanged in English. It is considered a loanword and is often italicized in formal writing.

Synonyms

• Purpose: the reason for which something is done or created.
• Justification: a good reason for something existing or happening.
• Reason: a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.
• Motive: a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.

Related Idioms

• Reason for being: an English equivalent phrase that means the same as "raison d'être".

  • The preservation of history is the museum's reason for being. (The museum exists to preserve history.)

• Purpose in life: the central goal or meaning that drives a person.

  • He found his purpose in life through teaching. (Teaching became his raison d'être.)