Standard Lemma guide

métier

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɛtjeɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /meɪˈtjeɪ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any activity that is pursued as a trade or profession; a calling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An activity to which a person is particularly suited.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: forte, bent, gift, knack, long suit, métier, speciality, strength, strong suit, talent

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An outstanding or beneficial feature.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French métier. Doublet of mister (“employment, trade”).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: занаятие (zanajatie) — calling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 職業 /职业 (zhíyè) — calling
  • Czech: povolání — calling
  • Danish: kald — calling
  • Dutch: beroep — calling
  • Finnish: ammatti — calling
  • French: métier — calling
  • German: Metier — calling
  • Portuguese: ofício — calling
  • Portuguese: metiê — calling
  • Romanian: vocație — calling
  • Russian: призвание (prizvanije) — calling
  • Swedish: kall — calling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 專長 /专长 (zhuāncháng) — forte
  • Danish: styrke — forte
  • Danish: force — forte
  • Finnish: vahvuus — forte
  • German: Metier — forte
  • Romanian: putere — forte
  • Russian: ремесло (remeslo) — forte
  • Swedish: styrka — forte
  • Chinese Mandarin: 特點 /特点 (tèdiǎn) — feature
  • Finnish: ominaisuus — feature