variants also metier

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun métier differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of métier are business, calling, employment, occupation, pursuit, and work. While all these words mean "a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living," métier implies a calling or pursuit for which one believes oneself to be especially fitted.

acting was my one and only métier

When would business be a good substitute for métier?

The synonyms business and métier are sometimes interchangeable, but business suggests activity in commerce or the management of money and affairs.

the business of managing a hotel

When is calling a more appropriate choice than métier?

The meanings of calling and métier largely overlap; however, calling applies to an occupation viewed as a vocation or profession.

the ministry seemed my true calling

Where would employment be a reasonable alternative to métier?

While in some cases nearly identical to métier, employment implies work for which one has been engaged and is being paid by an employer.

your employment with this firm is hereby terminated

In what contexts can occupation take the place of métier?

While the synonyms occupation and métier are close in meaning, occupation implies work in which one engages regularly especially as a result of training.

his occupation as a trained auto mechanic

When is it sensible to use pursuit instead of métier?

The words pursuit and métier are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, pursuit suggests a trade, profession, or avocation followed with zeal or steady interest.

her family considered medicine the only proper pursuit

When might work be a better fit than métier?

In some situations, the words work and métier are roughly equivalent. However, work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not.

her work as a hospital volunteer

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 métier Much like Catastrophe, Derry Girls combines irreverent farce with weightier issues that sometimes take you by surprise but never betray the series’ light-hearted metier. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Sep. 2024 Photo : Chopard Imperiale Chopard Imperiale Chopard’s Imperiale collection was launched in 2010 to showcase the company’s in-house metiers capabilities, combined with in-house premium mechanical movements. Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024 While both are masters of gem-setting and micro-horology, Piaget places a special emphasis on mixing gems with metiers, particularly inlay and marquetry using ornamental stones and exotic materials. Carol Besler, Robb Report, 5 July 2023 But the metier has opened up in other ways. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 11 July 2022 After realizing that acting was not for her, Linstead found her metier as a casting director and worked in an advertising company and at International Casting Services representing actresses. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Aug. 2022 The short story is a cruel little metier and a poor choice for anyone hoping to conceal his or her faults as a writer. Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2021 The pandemic intensifies the domesticity that is Wolitzer’s metier. BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2021 Her timing seemed strange to some, just as her metier was fading. The Economist, 20 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for métier
Noun
  • Then came a quick, colorful riff, a Leitner specialty going back five decades in San Diego.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
  • With an interdisciplinary structure that breaks down conventional barriers between specialties, the firm has transformed into a design collaborative that shapes how spaces are conceived, built, and renovated.
    Christopher Marquis, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Few things can complicate the otherwise straightforward matter of death quite like family and the possibility of inheritance.
    Ashley Case, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Jake Paul has nothing but good things to say about his Disney days.
    Nicholas Rice, People.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • His speciality was the trivela: that killer strike with the outside of the boot.
    Phil Hay, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
  • And for the author, who is also the brains behind the 2019 bestseller Mostly Dead Things, as well as 2021’s With Teeth, tackling the taboo in fiction is a speciality at this point.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Métier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/m%C3%A9tier. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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