DE RIGUEUR Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

de rigueur

adjective

də-(ˌ)rē-ˈgər

Definition of de rigueur

as in polite

following the established traditions of refined society and good taste though he was wearing a dinner jacket and a black bow tie, his jeans and tennis shoes were hardly de rigueur

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of de rigueur Menus from the brand’s Michelin-star-earning chefs are de rigueur, as are personalized spa therapies, and high-end boutiques such as Cartier. — Janice Wald Henderson, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026 Such testimony is de rigueur in a murder trial, of course, but these exchanges underlined yet more unanswered questions about this case. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026 Summers in the Big Apple can bring torrential, sudden rains, with water flooding into intersections and cascading down subway stairs, while nor’easters are de rigueur in the winter. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 2026 The presentation will, as has been the case since 2020, be a pre-recorded video shown on the theater’s huge screen, doubtless with the usual high production values that have become de rigueur. — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for de rigueur

Recent Examples of Synonyms for de rigueur

Adjective

Tonight's format, with Georgians asking the questions of candidates, meant a very polite back-and-forth between Jackson and Bottoms dominated the first half of the debate.

— AJC.com, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Cagle added that the photo showed a confident, brilliant, brave, polite, gracious, kind and gentle young man.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of polite

Adjective

They were rendered invisible in the dominant discourse, their deaths acceptable costs in a game of power politics and conquest.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
The facility’s operator did not demonstrate acceptable food safety knowledge on proper warewashing, sanitizer requirement/use, cloth towel use/storage, food contact surface cleaning and cold holding temperatures.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of acceptable

Adjective

Those are respectable numbers, but fans have been clamoring for more game-changing plays from a pass rusher who terrorized opposing offensive linemen during training camp.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Turning up the volume on their performance made Miami’s defense respectable for three quarters of Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of respectable

Adjective

The woman and her children lived in the nice part of the house and the foster girls — three to five at a time — ate dinner separately in the basement.

— Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
In an era where millions of recipes are made for content consumption as much as actual consumption, traveling back in time for someone’s beloved 1970 banana bread recipe sounds pretty nice.

— Candy Hom, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of nice

Adjective

Months later, a report found the state hadn't complied with its own lethal injection process since its revision in 2018, resulting in executions being conducted without proper testing of the drugs.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Guadagnino speaks in calligraphy; adjectives almost certainly accompany a proper name — the extraordinary, the wonderful, the genius.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of proper

Adjective

After months of negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, the union approved strike action earlier this month in a vote held in tandem with unions at the Brooklyn Museum and American Folk Art Museum.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
The effort displayed by Kansas’ 14 men’s basketball players at Bill Self’s 24th annual Boot Camp proved satisfactory to the Hall of Fame Jayhawks coach.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of satisfactory

Adjective

Indeed, people who treat AGI seriously have been much more correct about the speed of AI advances than people who dismiss the concept.

— Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
The first four-lens telescopes appeared around 1643, but if Madrid’s analysis is correct, this would mean the innovation occurred much earlier, in 1630 at the latest, and could be attributed to Galileo.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of correct

Browse Nearby Words

deriding

de rigueur

derision

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“De rigueur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/de%20rigueur. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of de rigueur

adjective

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